


The Night Grows Pale

by zephyr_iphis



Series: Nuzlockes [3]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Nuzlocke Challenge
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2020-11-16 14:24:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 21,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20840495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zephyr_iphis/pseuds/zephyr_iphis
Summary: Dual Protagonists, one from Alola and one from Johto, embark on the Island Challenge together. When long-time internet friends Makani and Azophi finally meet in person, it feels like life is taking a turn for the better. Along with Makani's brother Hau and the mysterious runaway Lillie, the two begin on a journey full of Island Trials, personal trials, and ghosts both old and new. On the way they make friends, enemies, and frenemies with a variety of original and previously established characters. Action, humor, drama, shade, and good old-fashioned shenanigans ensue. The Night Grows Pale features a diverse cast, explores queer themes and identity, as well as the traditional nuzlocke themes of responsibility, loss and finding friends in unexpected places.Rating: This story is not super dark or anything, but the protagonists are 17-21, so stuff will come up. The writing will contain themes of abuse, self-loathing, violence, memes, drug references, sexual references, Nebby never getting in the bag, and colorful language.





	1. Now I’m Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Azophi arrives in Alola and Makani convinces them to take the Island Challenge with him.

Makani walked out onto the porch of Kukui’s house and shed his somewhat sodden lab coat, revealing a dryer set of shorts and a floral t-shirt beneath. He draped his lab coat over the railing and absently adjusted his snapback with one hand as he pulled out his phone.

No new messages, so he opened his conversation with Azophi and composed his own.

Makani: really sorry I couldn’t meet u at the airport ;_;

The reply came quickly.

Azophi: nbd  
all the luvdisc ok?

Makani: no casualties!  
hopefully the prof will stop testing moves inside  
myb for a wk or 2

Azophi: he sounds like a nut

Makani: ye, but the good kind  
…mostly  
send me your new address  
if u ever figure it out  
srly wut kinda person doesn’t know where they’re moving?

Azophi: stfu I’m a stranger in a strange land!

Makani: (∩˃o˂∩)♡

Azophi: luv u too ya weeb

Makani smiled and squeezed his phone.

“Did Azophi make it in one piece?” Hau called as he stepped out to join him.

“Yeah, they’re unpacking.”

Hau tossed his own lab coat over the railing to dry and slung an arm around Makani’s shoulders. Even with all of Makani’s bulking up over the past year, Hau was still so much broader.

“I’m so happy for you, bro. I hope they’re close enough that we can have them over for dinner. Mom’s been brainstorming menus all week.”

Makani turned his phone over but continued to clutch it like a lifeline. “Me too.”

Of course, his tone gave him away. It was hard to hide things from Hau. “Hey, even if they’re on the other side of the island, it’s better than all the way across the ocean.”

Makani smiled, excitement returning to push out the anxiety. “Yeah.”

Hau grinned big and broad back at him and gave his shoulder a final squeeze before releasing him. “Lillie and I are gonna head up now.”

“I’ll meet you there. I need to pick something up at home.”

He pocketed his phone and dashed down the long steps to the ground. He looked out between the house stilts and over the dunes at the warm sand and glittering ocean as he pulled his bike off the rack. But Azophi wasn’t out there anymore. They were here, somewhere close, and it wouldn’t be long now before he got to meet them.

Makani walked his bike along the path and past the tree line to the road. He mounted up and shifted gears to deal with the switchback ahead of him. No more than two cars passed him, but he petaled by dozens of wild pokemon. Pikipek drilled storage holes in the tall palms, Cutiefly buzzed from flower to flower along the roadside, red Ledyba flashed amongst the greenery, Buneary and Pichu rustled through the undergrowth, and Wingull soared high above on the updraft.

As he neared the top, Ten Carat Hill came into view to the south—a steep, bare rimmed crater that cut sharp against the sky. Mahalo continued to rise above him to the north august, conical, and heavily blanketed in forest.

Finally the road leveled off, and he rolled into Iki Town. The generously spaced houses along his street almost melted into the surrounding plant life. No one had lawns on this part of the island, and most of Iki Town’s residents used the community garden a little further up the hill.

There was a moving truck at his neighbors’ house. Makani hadn't even heard they'd managed to sell yet, but several Machamp in board shorts and cutoff tanks were unloading—even logistics had touristy branding. Makani flicked down his kickstand and left his bike by the end of the stairs before heading over.

A tall, blond man watched as the Machamp carried rolled futons and boxes into the house. He turned, and Makani saw that he had a blonde beard to match the hair on his head. Makani waved.

“Alola! I’m Makani. I live next door. Welcome to Iki Town!”

“Hello!” The man greeted back in a smooth, drawling accent. “Lovely to meet you. I’m Quentin.” He offered his hand, which was almost large enough to swallow Makani’s as they shook.

“Are you from Unova?” Makani had always wanted to see it. “What’s it like?”

“Very big.” Quentin gesturing grandly. “Spralling deserts, endless plains, giant forests, soaring mountains, and huge cities. But I haven’t lived there in decades. We just moved from Johto.”

“Oh, that’s cool,” said Makani, trying to temper his excitement. He'd already gone and asked about Unova and he didn’t want to grill his new neighbor right as he was moving in.

“Do you know where the Town Hall is by any chance? I need to get the mail forwarding sorted.”

“You’ll actually want the Welcome Center. It’s a few miles down Route 1 there, right past the school in Hau’oli City. Iki Town is too small to handle post.”

Quentin started to thank him but was cut off by a loud expletive from his front door. “Oh no—don’t you fuckin—no no no SHIT!” Something crashed to the floor inside. “Not you too you bastard son of a—” Another, louder crash. “GIRATINA’S ASSHOLE!” Shook the air, and Makani winced.

Quentin sighed and called out to whoever was yelling in what must have been Kantogo. “Dame! Teinei ni hanasu!”

“Guang-go ni burei ni hanasu! Motto tanoshiku,” the other voice grumbled back.

“Hai, hai…” Quentin sighed. “Azophi, come and meet the new neighbor.”

There was no way. He couldn’t be this lucky. But the face that appeared in the doorway was deeply familiar, seen a hundred times through a screen but never in the warm, Alolan sun.

“This ‘neighbor’ had better not be another weird Koratta or Nyarth or I'm gonna lose it,” muttered Azophi—his Azophi!—as they stepped out onto the porch, shielding their eyes with one arm and carrying a box under the other. It didn’t matter that there was a tired scowl on their face or that their long, black hair was in a messy braid. They were a vision in purple jeans and an off the shoulder top. Makani wasn’t sure if he was breathing.

“This is Makani—”

Azophi dropped their box. “Zephyr?!”

He threw his arms in the air, huge smile splitting his face in two. “Teapot!”

Makani may not have been breathing a moment ago, but they were both yelling as they ran towards each other.

“Oh, you’re _the_ Makani,” said Quentin as they came together.

Azophi swept Makani right off his feet and into a tight hug. “You are so adorable in person! And heavy, whoa.” They put him back down. “Diu! What is that martial art you do again?”

“Capoeira,” Makani answered, unable to keep the smile out of his voice. Then he looked at Azophi again—looked _up_ because they were a good six inches taller than him. “You’re so tall in person.”

“I know!” said Azophi with a broad, pleased grin. “The boots help a bit.”

“And so pretty, holy shit.” Makani added before he knew he was saying it.

Azophi preened, and Makani no longer felt like an idiot. “You’re so sweet! You’re gonna give me a cavity,” they drawled in the same honeyed south Unovan accent as their father.

“I’ll let you two catch up,” Quentin said with a broad smile as he left them.

“I can’t believe you just ran into us!” Azophi chattered. Then they tapped their fingers together nervously, which was so cute. “Where do you live?”

“Right there!” Makani pointed.

Azophi gasped and their voice pitched upward. “You mean we’re neighbors?? Next-door neighbors???” They grabbed Makani's shoulders and shook him. “AHHHH! This is so amazing!” They abruptly stopped shaking him and held him at arm's length “Am I touching you too much? I’m sorry. I’m just so excited!”

“It’s fine! I like touching,” Makani assured them with his biggest smile. Azophi’s eyes went soft. He'd forgotten what a gentle blue they were—almost gray—and now he’d never have the chance to forget. They were _here_.

Makani hugged them tight, and Azophi wheezed out a breath but didn’t complain. Makani didn’t want to let go—like it might all dissolve into mist if he did.

Then Makani remembered why he was here, and he must have cursed because Azophi pulled back to ask him what was wrong. He almost didn’t say anything, but he knew that was silly.

“It’s just I have to go, actually. I’m supposed to be somewhere right now and it’s kinda important.”

“It's okay,” Azophi said with one last reassuring pat on his shoulder before they relinquished their hold on him. “I have to help move in anyway.” They glanced back at the door. “I’m a little surprised _Okāsan_ hasn’t come out yet to yell at me.”

“Can you hang out tonight maybe? I shouldn’t be gone more than an hour or two.”

“Of course!” said Azophi, lighting up again.

Makani couldn’t help it, he grabbed for their hand and squeezed. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“Me too.” It was a big sigh, like a weight off their shoulders. Makani felt it too. He ran back to his house—he knew he wouldn’t be able to walk away—but stopped at the door.

He waved. “I’ll see you later!”

He thought he saw Azophi wipe their eyes, so maybe they were almost as ready to cry as he was. “Later!”

* * *

Makani biked through Iki Town with his ukulele case across his back and dismounted at the base of Tapu Trail. He leaned his bike against one of the grinning stone guardians at the bottom and started to walk up. The steep hike had never felt so easy. He was floating on air.

In no time at all, Makani emerged from the shade of the narrow pass and into the bright sun of the Tapu’s clearing high on the mountainside. A waterfall plummeted onto sharp rocks far below, and a new suspension bridge hung above the rapids, bright planks and ropes as yet unweathered by the spray. The Tapu shrine was nestled against the cliff on the far side, a great wooden platform atop a high pile of stone. Sheltered pedestals of rough-hewn hematite adorned the corners for offerings, and giant spears were arrayed like a fan at the back, one for each great victory.

Hau and Lillie sat on the wide steps, talking easily as Hau tuned his ukulele. Lillie’s posture was as straight and proper as ever, but gone was the closed stiffness of it. Her shoulders shook as she laughed. Hau beamed, too wrapped up in her to notice anything else.

Lillie’s signature duffle bag lay empty on the ground while its usual occupant floated though the gently rippling grass. Makani waved at the strange little creature, and Nebby waved back, hastening to the far end of the bridge and bouncing in place. Hau and Lillie looked up at the creaking and swaying of the ropes as Makani crossed.

“What kept you so long?” Lillie called, more curious than accusatory.

“Azophi moved in next door! In the Fujioka’s old house!”

“Auwē! That’s awesome, bro!”

“Oh, but you didn’t have to come if your friend just arrived.” Lillie fiddled with one of her braids. “You could’ve called.”

Makani set his ukulele case down, and Nebby peered inside with interest. “That’s the beauty of it. They’ll be there when I get back! Besides, this is important.”

Lillie’s brow pinching a frown. “It’s not so important as that…”

“It means something to you, doesn’t it?” Makani asked. Nebby floated through his peripheral in possession of his pick and looking thoroughly pleased about it.

“Well yes, but—”

“Then it’s important,” Hau cut her off gently. Nebby held the stolen ukulele pick aloft near Hau’s elbow, trying to show it off.

Worry lost its hold completely as a light flush colored Lillie’s cheeks. “You guys…” her smile really was a lovely thing, far more so than the one Makani knew was plastered across his and his brother’s faces—wide and toothy and crinkled around the eyes.

Hau plucked the pick from Nebby’s little pom-poms and handed it off to Makani so he could tune his ukulele. Hau always did it by ear, so Makani decided to forgo his tuner this time and settled down in the grass.

“Don’t wander off!” Lillie cautioned, sending a startled ripple through Nebby’s cloud-like form. “You wanted to come up here, remember?” Nebby pewed back and peeked over the edge of the cliff at the rapids below. “Just stay on this side of the bridge, please.”

Nebby floated back towards her and before a blooming lily waylaid them. Nebby swayed along with it in the breeze coming off the waterfall, while Makani played a few notes. Hau joined him and nodded in satisfaction as they finished the first bar.

Hau caught sight of Lillie frowning sadly into the distance. “You okay?”

“Yes,” she drawled back automatically.

“Don’t give me that.”

Lillie shifted, pulling her large-primed hat off her head and crumpling it in her lap. “It’s just that it’s been an entire year now and I’ve hardly figured out anything about Nebby. I’m certainly no closer to getting them home. You’ve been so patient, and generous, and I’m so—”

Hau held up his hand. “I’m gonna stop you right there. You’ve accomplished a lot this past year. You’re here!” Lillie pulled her legs up to her chest, silently swallowing something down. “And just to reiterate, I don’t care that you haven’t told us where you came from or what you were running from. What matters is that you got out. That other stuff is behind you.” Hau drew her eyes back up and held her there with his warmth. It was an enviable talent. Hau always knew what she was thinking too, even if had taken time to get there. She was as obvious to him as Hau was to Makani. “And you are _not_ a burden.” He listed off the reasons on his fingers. “No one else can get the pressure sensor perfectly tuned like you can. We would have had to scrap the whole project! Plus, you convinced Kukui not to let his Ninetails practice Sheer Cold on him, which probably saved his life.”

It was Makani’s turn.“And you do know more about Nebby. You know they’re pure psychic-type, which is honestly fascinating since only ghost-types have a body like theirs. And you know that they can instinctively find sacred places, so they must have some connection to the Tapus.”

“That’s not nothing.” Hau caught her eyes again to make sure she was listening. “That’s a lot.”

Lillie sniffed. “You guys are the best.” She wiped at her eyes and began to smooth out her hat. “So what do you have for me today?”

“Well, we know how you love Queen.” Hau flopped down in the grass next to Makani and played a note.

“And we sort of missed the boat on this one when you first got here, so we thought maybe it would work for the anniversary.” Makani grabbed low on the fret of his ukulele and started strumming.

“We had to get a little creative with the arrangement, so bear with us.”

Lillie smiled and Hau glanced back at Makani to make sure they were together before launching into the song.

“Here I stand.”

“Here I stand,” Makani echoed.

“Look around!”

“Around!”

“Around!”

“Around!”

“Around!”

“Around, around, around, around…” Makani went gradually softer.

“But you won't see me.” Hau switched from notes to strumming with Makani. “Now I'm here.”

“Now I'm here.”

“Now I'm there.”

“Now I'm there.”

“I'm just a…” Suddenly they were both wailing on their ukuleles. “Just a new man!”

“ YES YOU MADE ME LIVE AGAIN!” They belted together, and the song began in earnest. Makani continued to handle the bass and percussion with some creative use of his instrument while Hau played the ‘guitar’ line and led the vocals. They’d done this countless times now. Hau had always been a better player and singer—always jumping in when the dancers needed a musician at the festivals. Makani would never catch the years Hau had on him, but he still liked playing together like this. Together they made a whole greater than the sum of its parts.

Lillie smiled, and Nebby danced along, twirling and bouncing to the rhythm. Lillie applauded when they finished and the three of them were laughing together when a bolt of lightning struck from the clear blue sky. Nebby startled in Lillie's arms and all their hair stood on end from the charge.

Makani had never seen Tapu Koko before, but that made him no less certain that it was their massive form that landed on the platform. They spread their wings, bright as the sun’s rays and dark as a thunderstorm. Electricity crackled from their body, arcing to the hematite pedestals and lighting up the spears behind them in a blinding array. Glowing eyes gazed out from their black, mouthless mask of a face, and their gaze pierced his chest like a defibrillator charge. With a final shake of their feathers, and a single powerful down-sweep, they launched back into the air shot into the distance in a second shaft of lightning.

Lillie's hair was the first to fall back in place as the static left the air. “Have we angered them by coming up here?”

“Nah.” Hau waved off her concern. “You’ll know when the Tapu doesn’t like something, trust me. Hey, we haven’t seen them since the bridge incident. Maybe this is a sign!”

“You think so?”

“Has to be.” Makani agreed. “Just look at Nebby.”

The little cloud was vibrating with joy and excitement in her arms and letting out a string of happy noises.

Lillie smiled again. “Maybe you’re right.”

* * *

The dinner table was almost set when the doorbell rang, and Makani skipped past Hau in a blur of nervous excitement to answer it. He took a deep breath with his door on the handle. Everyone knew their parts. His family had his back. They could do this.

The first thing Makani noticed when he opened the door was Azophi’s unusually gender-neutral attire—a women’s button down and men’s slacks accompanied by minimal makeup.

The second thing he noticed was their mother hovering by their elbow. She was Makani’s height, which made her short compared to her husband and child—and Makani’s own imagination. But once that shock had passed, she began to fit the bill. She was straight-backed and sharp-eyed with a short haircut that looked fresh from the salon. She had a silk scarf tied neatly about her neck to top off her slightly casual but immaculate outfit. She looked Makani up and down for an instant in a way that made his arm itch to draw across his chest before her eyes passed right over him.

“Alola and good evening,” Makani managed after what he hoped was a much shorter pause than it felt. “Thank you for coming.”

Azophi bowed in the typical Johton fashion while their father reached a burly arm around them to shake Makani’s hand. “Of course!”

“Alola,” Azophi’s mother said with a stiff but otherwise correct Alolan wave. “It was kind of you to invite us.” She was looking over his shoulder at the rest of his family, who were behind him now.

“Please come in,” his mother said. “Make yourselves at home.”

Makani took the opportunity of the parents getting drawn into conversation to beam at Azophi, who threw a guarded smile back at him before edging their way out of the group to the adjacent doorway. Hau tapped Makani to help bring the rest of the food in and he reluctantly slipped past Azophi into the kitchen. He passed his sister on his way to the counter, laden with another platter, and heard Azophi quietly address the Luratis.

“Konbanwa, Rosemary.”

“Alola!” she chirped back. “You should come for dinner more often! We got to cook all kinds of fun stuff.”

Azophi looked to Makani a bit helplessly, but Rosemary was already bustling past, knowing perfectly well that she wasn’t understood and not expecting an answer.

“She’s glad you’re here,” Makani offered.

A quiet “oh,” was all that all that drifted from Azophi’s lips as Makani went past them to the table. It was too soft and surprised for Makani’s liking, but he knew that knot would probably take a while to unravel.

Everyone took their seats at the table except for Rosemary, who daintily adjusted her apron as she settled next to Makani's mother. The pair had truly gone all out for this meal. The spread looked more like what they severed at the hotel than the meals they made at home. The variety alone was impressive, and the seamless mix of traditional Alolan dishes and modified Kantonian fare was all beautifully presented.

Azophi’s mother was quick to compliment the meal as they all served themselves from the various platters. Makani saw a faintly mischievous glint in his mother’s and Rosemary’s eyes as all three of the Torikabutos took a little of everything to be polite.

Less than a minute later, Quentin paused rather tellingly as he tried the poi.

Pika chuckled kindly to cover for his wife. “Don’t worry! Poi is a staple here, but it’s an acquired taste. Most people from other regions hate it. We probably should have warned you, but it’s always fun to see how people react.”

Quentin laughed good-naturedly. “It’s not so bad. In Johto there’s this fermented soybean dish…”

“Nattō?” Makani’s mother supplied helpfully.

“Yes! Yumi made me try it once. It’s like sour soybeans covered in snot.”

“Quentin!” Yumi snapped with a sharp look at her husband.

Everyone else laughed though, and that smoothed her over. Makani couldn’t help grinning like a fool at Azophi across the table, and Azophi tried their best not to grin back.

“So, Azophi, what are your plans once you get settled in here?” Makani’s mother asked, and Rosemary tilted her head to echo the interest. That was a little fast, but a natural starter.

Azophi had to swallow a bite first and their mother beat them to it. “Azophi has to finish University. The degree was almost complete before the move.”

Why did she have to get in the way already? It was bad enough when people talked over their children, but Azophi was an adult! Hau shot Makani a perturbed look, and he gave a little nod that he hoped conveyed _I told you_. The odd wording could have been dismissed as Anglic being her second language, but Makani knew that they had fought over pronouns before, so it was more likely a deliberate attempt to avoid them entirely.

“You’re the one that insisted I move with you,” Azophi grumbled. “All I needed was another semester,”

“What else do you need?” Pika prompted.

“_If_ all my credits transfer, I’d need just one more Unovan Lit course and something in maths or science because Hau’oli University has distribution requirements for undergrads.”

“Well I may just be a high school teacher now, but I used to work at HOU, and I still have friends there. So just let me know if you need help signing up for courses, Azophi.”

Azophi smiled and started to answer before their mother cut them off again.

“Thank you Mr. Gabbard. We’ll be sure to look into it.”

Azophi fixed Makani with a long-suffering stare, and he tried unsuccessfully to shove down his anger and return a look of sympathy.

“Don’t worry,” Hau assured them. “I’ve been taking classes over at Ho-U and they’re pretty relaxed. I’m sure it won’t be a problem.”

Yumi pulled a face at ‘Ho-U,’ but Quentin interjected before she could say anything. “So I hear you’re related to the Kahuna. That’s a pretty big deal here on the islands, right?”

Yumi perked up at that.

“Yeah!” Hau answered, still jovial.

But Makani couldn’t keep his own voice quite as friendly. He looked her right in the eyes. “Kahuna Hala is our grandfather.”

Hau leaned forward a little, and Makani got the message and let him take over. “Pokemon training is really big in our family. I’m hoping to be the next Kahuna some day.”

“Being a chef, I’m the odd one out,” said Makani’s mother, “but I married in, so the Kahili legacy remains untarnished.”

Pika laughed. “And I married an in-law, so I guess that makes me a super in-law!”

Quentin chuckled at the dad joke. “Azophi really wanted to be a trainer for a while when they were younger. Their room was covered in posters of these two trainers.” He smirked. “What were their names?”

Azophi flushed—which Makani had never witnessed before and really wanted to see more of— “_Daaad!_”

“Don’t be embarrassed. The whole region was into it for a minute there.”

Makani couldn’t help it. He was grinning almost as mischievously as Quentin. “Azophi never told me about that.”

Quentin pounced on it. “No? Well, it was maybe five years back when this trainer from Johto became the Hoenn League Champion.”

“AND she rode a gigantic dragon god into _space_ to save us all from a huge meteorite!” Azophi nearly yelled.

“_Really?_” Quentin asked, stroking his beard. It was too exaggerated to be genuine. “I thought that was a different one.”

Azophi took the bait anyway. “That was Ren and Zinnia! It was all over the news!”

Makani stifled a giggle, and Azophi harumphed back in their chair, arms folded.

Makani’s mother smiled, and Rosemary wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Azophi, have you considered doing the Island Challenge?”

Azophi looked genuinely surprised at the suggestion, which meant Makani had his work cut out for him. But he’d come this far, and he was going to keep fighting.

“I think it’s a bit late for Azophi,” said Yumi. It was so casual, so dismissive, and Azophi wilted before their eyes—tase falling to their barely touched meal without even seeing it. “To be a career trainer, you have to start when you’re of age at thirteen. Our Champion took over the League when she was fifteen.”

Makani gripped his chair to stop himself flying out of it. Even Hau struggled to bite his tongue. As if every trainer had to be Kaspa Kitamsuye! It was galling, crazy on the face of it! But Azophi—who’d snarked right back at her only a few minutes ago—silently accepted her judgement. Quentin frowned but also said nothing.

Then Makani’s mother, with the sort of composure he could only dream of inheriting, stepped up to counter. “Well, here in Alola the starting age is sixteen and even kids who aren’t considering training as a career do the Island Challenge. It’s a tradition. I only made it to my fourth Trial before I ran out of steam, but I don’t regret it at all.” She scratched Rosemary under the chin, and she gave a little chirping purr and leaned into Maile. “Rosemary here is my best friend and she’s such a great help at work. My sous-chef is always saying she should be on the payroll.”

“At this point I still think it would be a poor decision,” Yumi replied. Unmoving and final.

That was greeted by an uncomfortable silence, in which Azophi’s far away look gradually transformed until they were glaring at their plate with eyes that glistened suspiciously in the soft light. Quentin’s brow lowered and his mouth turned downward as he turned to his wife, but she pointedly looked at neither of them, instead putting another small bite of food in her mouth.

Makani was seething again and bit down on his tongue. He couldn’t let himself make this worse for them. He had to stick to the plan. He looked up and saw his parents share a concerned glance across the table. They weren’t sure what to do either.

Then Hau stepped up to break the tension. “Hey mom! You said you made malasadas for dessert, right? Have I mentioned I love you?”

“Oh, I completely forgot! I’ll go grab them.” She stood and planted a kiss on Hau’s head as she passed.

Makani forced a deep breath. He could still do this. The seed was planted.

“What are malasadas?” Azophi asked.

“They’re sorta like donuts only way better!” Hau answered with one of his grand gestures and huge, beaming smiles. It piqued their interest nicely—just in time for the amazing smell to wash over them as Maile returned with the platter.

The mood recovered almost instantly. Quentin liked the malasadas so much that he had a second one with Hau, and even Yumi seemed to enjoy hers. Food was a magic as powerful as moves, and Maile Kahili knew how to use it better than most.

The conversation carried on past desert without much further tension, and—Lunala shine bright—Yumi and Quentin were perfectly amenable to departing without Azophi.

They chit-chatted amicably as they all cleared the table together, each member of Makani’s family taking turns to casually engage Azophi. Rosemary sang _Paihī Loko Kala'e Lua Huna_ while Makani washed the dishes, and Azophi dried them. Makani smiled to himself as Azophi’s hips swayed absently to the tune, only to have his mother fix him with her lopsided smirk. Suddenly scrubbing required all of Makani’s concentration.

“You’re a lovely guest, Azophi,” Maile said warmly as she came to take a a plate from them to put away. “We’re so glad you’re here. Know that our house is always open to you.”

Azophi’s voice lowered, and their tongue stumbled. “Oh, thank you, ma’am.”

Their surprise made Makani’s heart squeeze. He wiped his brow and threw a little more enthusiasm into his segway to compensate. “Whew! Washing’s done! How’s the drying, Teapot?”

They blinked at him. “Uh, yeah.”

“Great! Come on, I’ll show you my room.” He practically shoved them out of the kitchen. Goodnight, mom!”

“Goodnight!” Maile and Rosemary called after them.

Azophi followed him upstairs under their own power, and Makani flipped on his Shiinotic lamp as they entered.

“This is so nice,” said Azophi with an appreciative turn about.

“Thanks!”

Azophi flopped down in the giant bean bag chair in the corner and Makani hopped onto his bed. He looked up at the poster of Ren, Steven, Latias, and Latios over his headboard and grinned. “So when you sent me this poster, it wasn’t just because I was a pokemon fan and you thought I might like it.”

Azophi snatched Makani's shiny Minior plush off the floor. “I bought it at a con for myself, but I couldn’t decide which of the others to get rid of.”

“You had that many? Wow, your dad wasn’t kidding.”

“Yeah, I even had one of Steven over my bed.”

“Hardcore.”

“Shut up.”

There was a beat of comfortable silence, and Makani readjusted himself so that he is was sitting crisscross as pleasant warmth welled up through his chest. He grabbed his knees and rocked back and forth with the energy of that bubbly sensation, a huge smile on his face. “Gah! I’m just so happy you’re here! Like here-here!”

“Cut that out,” said Azophi, nose wrinkling. “You are too fucking cute.” Makani blushed but couldn't stop grinning and bouncing. “…I’m really glad too. I can’t believe after so many years I actually get to meet my best friend. I’m basically going to live here, so I hope your mom meant that thing she said.”

Makani stopped rocking. “Of course she did! My parents love you!”

Azophi’s eyes narrowed. “I just met them.”

“Yeah, but I’ve been talking you up for years.”

Azophi turned the Minior plush around to admire it. “They are so nice. It’s crazy. You’re so lucky.”

“Yeah…” maybe he hadn't always been, but things were different now.

“We can actually hang out together. We’re in the same timezone! I won’t have to wait like five hours for you to get home.”

“You’ll just keep me up half the night instead. You’re such a night Noctowl.”

“Only after I get over the jetlag.” They yawned. “It’s so late in Johto right now.”

Makani let the quiet hang for another moment. He’d had doubts now and then—it was kind of his thing—but there was no way he wasn’t going through with his plan now. Not after that display at dinner. He needed to get Azophi out of that woman’s clutches. And if he wasn’t sure before that this was the best way to do it, what he’d learned had convinced him. Now was his moment. Everything was as ready as he could make it and he knew his first play.

“I just wish we had longer.”

Azophi paused in their squeezing of his plush. “What do you mean?” They'd forgotten. Not too surprising given everything going on.

“My Island Challenge. I’m supposed to leave in two weeks.”

“Oh. Right…” Makani almost regretted bringing it up, but they recovered quickly. “Well, it can’t take as long as the Johto circuit, right?”

It was tiring to hear it from Azophi too, but at least he knew _they_ didn't mean anything by it. “It takes about year, and that’s if you really push through.”

“Oh.”Azophi glanced down at the floor, trying to hide their wounded expression. Makani sat back to give them a little space, and wrang his hands for a few moments to steady his nerves.

“…Why don’t you come with us?”

Azophi stared at the Minior plush. “You heard _Okāsan_. I’m way too old to start training now. And she’d never support me.”

“She wouldn’t have to. If you can win battles, you’d be able to support yourself.”

They finally looked back up at him. “Really?”

“Sure! In Alola you get a nest egg in your battle account when you register, so you don’t even need to have any money saved. I know you haven’t been to trainer school, but they have summer classes at my high school.” Makani scooched to the end of the bed. “And it’s not like you don’t know anything about pokemon.” He gestured to the poster. “You can’t have been so obsessed with the Hoenn Champs without knowing at least basic type matchups and stuff.”

“All true… But can you seriously picture me with a pokemon? I’m about as nurturing as a desert.”

“That’s not true. You’re nice to me.”

Azophi tried not to smile. “You’re a special case.”

Makani leaned over the baseboard. “Come on, it’ll be fun!”

“This is crazy!”

“No it isn’t. Tūtū will give you a starter, and Hau and I will be there to help.”

Azophi looked down at the Minior plush again. They were wavering. He could do this.

“I don’t know. It looks really cool on TV, but what if I don’t like it?”

“Are you kidding me? You’re so competitive! You’d love it.”

“Don’t you have to camp out?”

Damn. Of course they'd think of that. “Only sometimes.” He leaned over further to deliver his best line right in their ear. “It would get you out of your parents’ house for a _full year._”

Azophi’s eyes lifted. “You are so right…” Suddenly that excitement Makani knew so well ignited them. “Chikuso this is brilliant!” And just as suddenly it guttered out. “Wait, my parents would never go for it.”

Makani wasn't going to let that stop them. Nothing was going to stop them anymore. “We can totally work out a pitch. We’ll ask my mom! She got tūtū Akamu to send her to culinary school. If she can do that, the three of us can totally work out a way to convince your parents to let you do the Island Challenge!”

Azophi’s mouth formed into a cautious, lopsided smile. “You know, maybe this is just crazy enough to work.”

Makani thrust his fists in the air. “Yes!” He did it! He actually did it! It was time for Phase Three.

* * *

The following evening saw Makani waiting on his porch steps with his chin on his hand. He wished he could be there with them, but he'd done everything he could. It was up to them now. Azophi’s door creaked, and Makani searched their posture for clues. It didn't look great.

“Ohayō.”

“Hey. How’d it go?”

“She said she would let me go—”

Makani leapt up and threw both hands in the air. “YES! AHHHH!”

“_If_ I can finish my degree at the same time.”

“That’s no problem! Ho-U has online courses. That’s totally doable! And I’ll help you with the trainer certification! Dax and I can quiz you!”

Azophi cocked their head. “Who’s Dax?”

“They’re one of Kukui’s Rotomdexes. They’re coming with us.”

“Back up. Rotomdex?”

“It’s a new pokedex model made for a Rotom to possess.”

“But Rotoms are such little shits. There’s this one in Kogane that likes possessing the traffic lights and causing accidents. Why the hell would you want one in a pokedex?”

Makani didn't want to spoil it for them now. “It’s super cool, just trust me.”

Azophi raised an eyebrow. “If you say so… I still can’t believe that bit about making connections around the islands that your mom came up with actually convinced Okāsan.”

Makani shrugged. “What can I say, she’s used to dealing with overbearing parents.” A breeze blew through and ruffled his hair. “So, you’re really coming with us?”

“Yep. This is actually happening.”

Makani hugged Azophi, and they laughed until he was squeezing so tight that they couldn't quite breathe. He let them go, and they smiled nervously.

“I just hope I can get into all these classes.”

“We got this!” He turned and ran back inside, calling for his stepfather. “Pika! Pika we need your help!”


	2. I Should Be Waiting For The Sun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the gang finally get some pokemon

A mere six weeks after Azophi had decided to become a trainer and accompany Makani on his Island Challenge, they found themselves trudging up the hill towards Iki Town’s center at the literal ass crack of dawn. Why did this whole starter ceremony have to be so early? 

Of course Azophi’s two companions didn’t seem to mind. Makani was practically bouncing with excitement and Hau, who normally shared Azophi’s distaste for the first hours of the day, was grinning from ear to ear. 

So Azophi covered another yawn and kept their gripes to themself. This would be worth it later. They were going to be given a starter pokemon. Without Hala’s connections and generosity, their options were to somehow befriend a wild. And that sure as shit wasn’t happening. With a starter, they could catch wilds and earn their respect through battle. They had a chance. Without one, this whole trainer plan was dead in the water. They’d be stuck living with their mother for another year. And Makani... he’d probably make other friends, make a new life, and they’d be farther apart than they were with a literal ocean between them. 

So what was one early morning really? If nothing else, the hike finally gave them a few quiet moments to reflect on everything that had happened. 

Between unpacking, registering at HO-U, trainer school, and hanging out with the Kahilis, the past month had been a blur of furious activity. And Azophi barely had a moment to themselves to think. Not that they couldn't handle it—they'd had wall-to-wall extracurriculars all their life—but they'd expected Alola to be a bit more relaxed somehow. Why they ever thought their life would get any easier was a mystery, but whatever. 

In fact, Alola had been surprising them since they arrived. The most jarring had been walking into trainer class the first day and finding out their teacher was a Reuniclus. It did make its own kind of sense. Who better to teach perspective trainers than a pokemon? They had completed the Island Challenge with some trainer who had gone on to become a Z-Captain, so they certainly had the experience. And they were a psychic-type, so communication wasn’t a problem. Plus they were kind enough to help Azophi catch up and used gender neutral pronouns, because apparently that was a thing here. 

All-in-all it was kind of ideal. There was just nothing like it in Johto—or Kanto and Unova for that matter. Pokemon had jobs sure, but they always had a human partner. And they were employed for their senses and abilities. They didn’t just work at any old job a human could. Azophi wasn’t so sure they were allowed to. But here no one batted an eye. Pika had talked about Nīnau-sensei like any of his other colleagues—which Azophi was still a little salty about because it made them look like a damn moron when they had introduced themselves and Azophi’s jaw hit the floor. But Pika was a nice enough guy and very helpful, so they let it slide.

Compared to a pokemon teaching the class, students taking it with their pokemon wasn’t that big a deal. And Azophi knew going in that they’d be the oldest by far, so that was—not fine exactly, but at least they were prepared. Going toe-to-toe with thirteen-year-olds was frowned upon, of course, but Azophi could always beat the hell out of the little shits in practice battles, which was satisfying.

The infamous professor was also even more eccentric than Azophi had anticipated, even with all of Makani’s stories about him. For one, he never wore a shirt. He wore his lab coat plenty—treated it like a robe—but it was almost invariably open, and there was nothing but tan skin stretched over chiseled muscle beneath it. He had slightly amended his first impression by taking a jab at Tamamushi City after Azophi had made an off-color joke about it, but he was still a fucking wild man with a rather interesting approach to scientific experimentation.

As much as Azophi was loathe to admit it, the Rotomdex had in fact turned out to be “really cool” or at least very useful. Dax was a smug smart-aleck, and their voice software was kinda unsettling, as all artificial voices were. But they were also a talking, pokemon encyclopedia and willing to help Azophi review and quiz them endlessly in preparation for their trainer license test. They had even loaded up LycorvAlpha to generate some practice problems for Azophi’s math placement exam. They also fancied themselves a photographer, and some of their shots came out nice enough for Azophi’s Instaditto. Which helped Azophi think of them as a fully sapient and formally employed technician rather than a glorified piece of lab equipment.

The big remaining mystery was Lillie, who allegedly worked in Prof. Kukui’s lab and slept in his loft. But even after Azophi had finally passed their trainer test and made it into their college courses, they had yet to actually meet her. The Kahilis talked about her a lot—although all Azophi really knew was that she was nice, played tennis with one of Hau’s college pals, and was the only reason the lab was functional. As much as Hau and Makani jawed about her, there did seem to be an odd lack of detail on some level that Azophi couldn’t quite place. And despite some effort to put themselves and this Lillie character in the same place at the same time, they seemed to have opposite schedules. When Azophi was in class or running around with the Kahilis, she was working at the lab. And when Azophi had time to go to the lab, she was out at tennis practice or running some errand for Kukui. Azophi was honestly beginning to doubt of her existence.

As they passed under the carved wooden gate into the town square, Hala and his giant Hariyama came into view, waiting for them atop the battle royale platform. They were close and facing one another, clearly engaged in quiet conversation, but they stopped as soon as they saw the trio and squared their shoulders. Hala wore a traditional robe, and the tattoos covering every inch of his skin were extra stark in the slanting light. He looked like a god’s Mouthpiece—almost as intimidating as the Champion of their home region. And that was saying something because the woman always carried a sword on her hip and could set it and herself on fire at will. 

Hau and Makani greeted their grandfather enthusiastically, but he remained as stoic as ever—head held high and chin jutted. The angle of the light cast deep shadows over his eyes and made his face look even more like the god’s mask Makani had said the tattoos were based on. Azophi bowed.

Hala dipped his head back, peering down at them wit his silver hair wreathed in the dawn’s fiery rays. Azophi felt bare. But just as their anxiety began to spike in earnest, Hala’s Haryama let out a huff and the Kahuna spoke.

“Here on the islands, it is tradition that trainer and pokemon select each other. So each of you will approach the pokemon of your choice and ask to be their partner. The pokemon can then either accept or decline.” Okay, why did no one tell Azophi about that part?? All that work, trainer card in their pocket, and they still had a chance to fail. Perfect. “Hau will choose first since he has waited the longest, then Makani and then Azophi.“

Hala pulled back his robe to reveal the pokeballs on his big, cloth belt and sent out three pokemon. One was a fat seal-looking thing with a frill around its neck that cocked its head at Azophi. The second was like a Hoothoot with a leaf bowtie that became visibly excited the moment it spotted Makani and hopped towards him with a chirp. Makani smiled and waved back. Azophi had sort of forgotten the Kahilis had met the prospective starter pokemon a while before Azophi had arrived. 

The third pokemon was not one of the weird gray Meowth they had here, but a pitch black cat with flaming red markings and piercing yellow eyes. After surveying them for a moment, it lifted a paw and delicately cleaned its claws. Azophi’s eyes went wide as saucers and they had to stifle a scream. Azophi would have bet anything it was a fire-type, maybe even a secondary dark-type. It was so fucking perfect!

Then Hau loomed into their peripheral vision as he stepped forward, gaze fixed on Azophi’s would be partner and their heart skipped a beat. 

He held his hand out to the cat. “What do you say, buddy? Want to be my partner?”

“But—but!” Azophi squeaked. 

Makani shushed them and they bit their tongue. This couldn’t be happening! Maybe, just maybe, the cat wouldn’t—

It pushed its head into Hau’s palm and purred. FUCK. Hau stroked its back, and it scurried lightly up his arm and wrapped itself around his shoulders. 

Hau laughed. “Can I call you Malasada?” He turned to face the other two, smiling broadly, and the cat licked his cheek.

Azophi made a strangled sound as their soul departed their mortal coil. They had really been trying to get along with him for Makani’s sake—and in all honesty it had been going really well—but this shit was _unforgivable_.

Makani stepped forward and held out his arm as a perch for the owl. “Would you be my partner?”

The owl ignored his arm and went right for his shoulder. He laughed and spluttered as the owl nuzzled him vigorously, cooing loudly. “I’d like to call you Wini, if that’s alright?” The owl nibbled his ear, clearly delighted, and Makani returned to stand next to Hau.

Azophi looked at them, arms crossed over their chest, and Hau had the audacity to give them the thumbs up and flash one of his too broad grins. There was nothing they could do and honestly they should expect this kind of shit by now. 

They set their jaw and stepped up to the platform’s edge. The seal bounced forward to meet them and its pathetic little nubbin of a tail wagged like a Growlithe’s. 

Azophi sighed. “Will you take me?” They couldn’t even look it in its big, watery eyes. Which turned out to be a mistake because after an agonizing pause in which the rest of Azophi’s nightmare had come true, it let out a loud _arf!_ and launched itself at them. They managed to catch the fat little thing, but not without screaming in alarm. It barked in their face as they held it up by its flippers and they turned back to the Kahilis for help. “Is that a yes?” 

Makani nodded vigorously and Hau had his hands clutched together, a single tear leaking out of his eye. What a damn sap.

Azophi tried to heft their new pokemon into a somewhat more tenable position and fell back in line with the other two. When they looked up, Hala and his Hariyama were sharing a somber look, but it passed quickly.

“As I, the Kahuna of Melemele, have witnessed: these three trainers and pokemon have chosen one another as partners and will henceforth embark on the Island Challenge. To each pair, I impart an Island Challenge amulet.” He handed each of them a tasseled wooden charm along with their pokemon’s ball. “May the Tapus smile upon you as you honor this sacred tradition of their islands and grant you luck along your path. You may return and challenge me once you have completed the Verdant Cavern Trial.”

Hau and Makani bowed their heads along with their pokemon. “Mahalo, Kahuna Hala.”

Azophi dipped their head. “_Arigato gozaimasu_.”

The Kahilis turned to walk back down the hill, and Azophi threw one last glance back at Hala as he muttered to his Hariyama before following them. So maybe the Kahuna didn’t approve of them, but he had let them take their pokemon. Azophi could worry about the rest later. Right now they had to… Yeah, they hadn’t really planned this far. Jirachi bless them.

“So… now what?”

“We should go register at the PMC!” Makani said cheerfully. “And I could tell you a little bit about your Popplio if you want.”

Azophi frowned down at the rotund pokemon in their arms. It just smiled goofily back. They thought about putting it down, but they weren’t so sure it could really walk with those big clumsy flippers. “Did you have to take the coolest one, Hau?”

Hau scratched his perfect starter under the chin. “Yes.”

“But it’s a black felid that breathes fire!” They couldn’t help but whine. “I want one!”

“There’s nothing wrong with Popplio.” Easy for him to say! Suddenly Hau’s placid demeanor was kinda infuriating. 

“They’re really good!” Makani chimed in, bouncing forward to draw Azophi’s glare away from his brother. “They start learning fairy moves early on.”

“You could have at least left me the owl. That’s an aesthetic I can get behind. This thing looks like a clown.”

“Teapot! You know Rowlet is my favorite pokemon!” The Rowlet nuzzled him again. “Besides, she already knows me.”

Azophi pouted. “Fine…” It was tough to be annoyed with Makani, so they settled for being irritated with the whole situation. “He’s so heavy.”

Hau ignored that completely. “What do you think you’re gonna name him?”

“Oh, I hadn’t really thought about it.” Hadn’t had time more like. “How do most people name their pokemon?”

“Well, there’s lots of different styles.” Makani adjusted his snapback, which had become slightly crooked from his pokemon’s affections. “Some people just go with whatever pops into their heads. Other people have naming themes. Some trainers wait a while and try and pick something that really suits the pokemon. I’ve heard that in some regions, if you’re aiming to be a professional, you pick auspicious or intimidating names.”

Azophi loved Makani, really they did, but that didn’t narrow it down at all. “What are you going to do?”

“I think I’ll stick with Alolan names.”

“And Hau named his Donut.”

“Darn skippy!” 

“Is that part of your theme, Sunspot, or is it just the first thing that popped into your head?”

“My naming theme is desserts!”

Azophi gave him their most withering look. “Bless your heart.” Hau smiled even wider if possible. Gods, was this one hard to mock. Of course the Kahilis couldn’t really be blamed for not understanding southern Unovan “politeness” so Azophi had to console themselves with the knowledge that they had a way to call Hau a dumbfuck to his face in front of Makani. “Hmm. I guess I should come up with a theme too. I don’t want to look like a complete rube next to you two. And Ren had a naming theme,” they muttered under their breath. “I could do Unovan literary characters. But I think it might be tempting fate to name a pokemon Gatsby or Holden…”

“What about flowers?” Makani suggested. “You always have flower symbolism in your fics and you lectured me every time I misused them in mine.”

“I just didn’t want you confusing your readers,” They answered as they considered.

“And remember it took us ages just to whittle it down to your top four favorites? We talked about it almost every day for weeks!”

“You don’t think maybe it’s a little overdone?”

“Well, I know you. You aren’t going to pick the obvious ones.”

“True,” Azophi signed. They held out their Popplio to get a better look at it, and it burbled. A bubble came out of its big nose and went back in. “Maybe Oleander cuz your stupid nose is pink. I don’t know if I like the sound of it though.”

“Maybe another common name?” Hau suggested. “Or a genus?”

“Hrm.” That wasn’t half stupid. “What is the genus name again? Uh… Neria? Nerium! Yeah, that’s better.” They held the Popplio at arm's length. “How do you like the sound of that, ya goofy little thing? The Popplio laughed and honked. “Yeah? Good, you’re Nerium now.”

“So what’s the symbolism behind that?” Makani asked with a sly little smile. Damn him.

“Everlasting love,” they muttered, earning them a frankly ridiculous chorus of _awws_. Their ears burned. “Shut up!” 

The Kāhilis just laughed, and Azophi resorted to pouting again for near a minute to show their disapproval. They adjusted Nerium in their arms so that they could look at the Island Challenge amulet instead. Nerium burbled and snuggled against their chest as they pondered it. It was simple, but the shape and colors were striking.

“Man, this Island Charm is really sick. It’ll fit in perfectly with the rest of my omamori…” Then it hit them. “My omamori!”

“Oma-what?” said Hau.

“My charms! I won’t be in Johto when they expire!”

Now Makani was confused too. “Wait, they expire?”

“They’re only good for a year and then you have to take them back and burn them and get another or you get bad luck!” They didn’t have time to explain! This was a disaster! Like their life wasn’t hard enough already! “Giratina dammit! I’m so fucked! This can’t be happening! What am I gonna do?!”

“Just calm down.” Makani looked alarmed but not nearly enough. “Maybe you could burn them here?”

“That’s not how it works! You have to return them to the same temple!” Makani deflated at that, but then Azophi had an idea. “Wait, I could mail them to Johto and have someone return them for me.” They muttered to themselves. “Who can I bribe or blackmail to do it? Toya is too much of a flake… Umi would be great if she wasn’t coked out all the time. Maybe Shizuku? She does owe me, but she wouldn’t understand how important this is…”

The brothers shared a look and Hau uttered a bemused “what?” but Azophi wasn’t really paying them any mind anymore. They were mentally scrolling through their contacts list.

Azophi snapped their fingers. “Kikyō!” They pulled out their phone and called immediately.

“_Moshimoshi?_” A groggy voice mumbled.

“_Higurashi-san! The Lord of the Rainbow claim their reverence!_” 

“_Torikabuto?_”

“_This is an emergency!_”

“_Then why are you calling _me_? Aren’t you on the other side of the planet? I just fell asleep._”

Makani and Hau stood there like stooges, as the rapid-fire Kantogo washed over them without comprehension. So much the better that Azophi could explain their dilemma to Kikyō without further interruptions. 

Once she had woken back up and sobered a little, she understood the magnitude of the problem and agreed to help on the condition that Azophi mail her omamori from all the Alolan shrines and any really cute exclusive swag they came across in their travels. That was fair and Azophi ended the call very satisfied with their new arrangement. 

“Crisis averted?” Makani queried as they stowed their phone.

“Hai! We may proceed without unpaid debts to ancient gods hanging over us.”

“Good to know,” Hau chuckled.

Azophi found it in their heart to forgive him just this once.

* * *

The forest surrounding Iki town and the southern slopes of Mahalo Mountain was densely covered in ferns and choked with crawling vines wherever sunlight poked through. Nearly all of it was strange to Azophi, and they found themselves stopping to marvel at leaves as large as their torso or a sprawling skeletal structure Makani had called a ‘ficus’. All of which made it harder to keep pace with the brother, or rather not slow them down since they paused whenever they noticed Azophi falling behind.

Still, Azophi would rather not risk being separated. The Kahili’s seemed to know where they were going even without a clear trail, whereas Azophi couldn’t even tell which way they had come anymore. They almost wished the Kahili’s had roused them from bed absurdly early again—instead of the more civilized hour Azophi had insisted on—so that there would at least be an angle to the light to judge direction.

Nerium was slow on the uneven terrain, but he managed to walk surprisingly well on those ungainly flippers. He could even run after a fashion, though it was more an awkward, rolling lope. 

Meanwhile, Makani’s Rowlet swept through the tangled branches above them with uncanny precision and quiet, and Hau’s pitch-black Litten melted in and out of the undergrowth like a darting shadow. Yet despite their best efforts—and Nerium’s determined snuffling—they hadn’t come across a single wild pokemon. 

They wandered through yet another grove of berry trees to no avail before moving on. Azophi was again tempted to recall their starter, since it might be all of his noise that was ruining their chances. But the others hadn’t said anything, so Azophi decided not to bring it up.

Azophi had hoped the sun might scorch off some of the humidity, but if anything it made the whole affair all the more uncomfortable. They tripped and nearly collided with Dax as the Rotom floated carelessly around their heads like an orbiting satellite.

“Are there any actual pokemon in these woods, or is this whole thing some kind of practical joke?” Azophi demanded.

Dax swiveled to face them, and threw a map up on their display, littered with largely indecipherable little pokemon icons. “This area contains at least twenty documented species.”

“Thanks, Dax.” Azophi had spent enough quality time with the Rotom to know that the little shit was being obtuse on purpose. “Better question: how do we make the pokemon come to us?”

“Most wild pokemon will only approach trainers if they want a battle. Some because they know that battling trainers is a safer way to become stronger, others because they wish to be captured and trained.” Dax recited like a text to voice bot reading a wiki page—because they probably were. “Merely making our presence known should be sufficient to lure willing participants,” they concluded smugly.

“Okay.” Azophi filled their lungs and bellowed out their frustration at the top of their voice: “ARE THERE ANY DANG POKEMON IN THIS DANG JUNGLE WHO WANT TO BATTLE ME?!”

Hau and Makani clapped their hands over their ears, but after the shock had passed, removed them to listen while they all peered around for some kind of response. Nearly a minute passed in absolute silence and Azophi slumped. 

A flash of red darted through their peripheral vision and they tracked it in time to see a small bird land on their bag. Before they could even get excited, the wild grabbed an omamori in their sharp beak and ripped it off before taking to the air.

Azophi’s reaction was instant and automatic. They grabbed a pokeball and hurled it at the fleeing thief. 

“Not so fast, you little bastard!”

Azophi’s aim was true and the pokemon was sucked into the ball in a flash of red light. Azophi crowed in triumph as the ball fell. At least they didn’t have more bad luck to worry about. 

“Well, that’s one way to do it,” said Hau, arms behind his head in what Azophi had come to categorize as a shrug. “Nice aim.”

Azophi turned back from fetching their ball to find an almost pained expression on Makani’s face. Great. They’d really been hoping for pride. It took a few seconds of solid eye-contact to get him to spit it out. 

“I know this isn’t the way it’s done in Johto, but in Alola, trainers usually _ask_ pokemon to join their teams.”

“Unless the pokemon asks them,” Dax chimed, “which also occurs at a much higher rate in Alola as compared to most other regions.”

Like needing to get their starter’s approval wasn’t enough of a hurdle, now they needed to do it for every pokemon on their team? Maybe they could just tell Makani to—but he was already doing so much for them. And they couldn’t lose him, not now. They had to do this right.

“Alright. I’ll just get my omamori back first and if it doesn’t want to be on my team, I’ll release it.”

Their finger hovered over the button for a second, and Hau must have noticed their apprehension because he spoke up in that unfailingly cheerful tone of his. “Don’t worry. They didn’t pop out. That’s a good sign.”

Azophi would take what they could get. The little bird rematerialized on the forest floor, omamori still clutched in its long, pointed beak. It blinked and spat out the charm in obvious disgust. Azophi squatted down and snatched up their omamori before the thing could change its mind. It tilted its head to glare up at them with one beady eye and Azophi glared right back.

Hau laughed. “Probably thought it was food!”

“Is that it? Are you hungry, ya little asshole?”

The pokemon cocked its head to regard Azophi with its other eye. Azophi reached into their bag and pulled out a crispy rice roll. The greedy little bugger perked up instantly, tail bobbing in excitement. 

“Pikipek live in family groups and drill holes in trees to store extra food.” Not for the first time, Azophi wished that Dax’s facts were a bit more pertinent to training, but at least this tidbit gave them something to go on. If they had to buy their first catch, so be it.

They unwrapped the snack and held it out. The Pikipek hopped onto their arm and began drilling into the roll with gusto. Azophi straightened up and turned back to the brothers. 

“Is this a yes?”

Dax chirped at the Pikipek and it paused long enough to chirp back before diving back into its meal.

“She says she’ll battle as much as you want as long as there’s more food.”

The Pikipek was small, but its beak looked mean enough, and the stark combination of red, black, and white was a decent enough aesthetic. 

“Welcome to the team, Pimento.”

* * *

Wini could hardly believe that Pikipek had gotten past her. They were so loud and obnoxious. But at least she hadn’t gone for Makani. She was totally unsuitable as a teammate, even if she and Makani needed anyone else, which they certainly didn’t. Imagine thinking those little swatches of fabric were berries! Her mother had told her that day birds had better color vision, but apparently they let it blind them to everything else. Berries didn’t move like that, didn’t rustle like that, weren’t even shaped like that! What an idiotic glutton of a mon.

Something rustled down below to the left of her trainer, and Wini spun and bobbed her head to pinpoint the sound. A pair of orange-tipped pincers poked out from beneath the leaves. With a quick glance to make sure the humans were looking the other way, she fired off three leaf darts. They sliced into the ground barely an inch in front of her target, and the Grubbin quickly turned and fled. Ha! She didn’t need any bugs eyeing _her_ trainer.

“Would you stop that?” Malasada hissed, crawling out from under a nearby bush.

“No.”

The Litten glared up at her. “You’re going to need to let some mon join eventually.”

“I don’t see why.”

“That’s because you’re wild,” said Malasada with a with a dismissive lash of his tail. 

Which is exactly why _she_ knew that a pair was the ideal arrangement. Wini tuned away and shuffled her wings. Befriending mons of other species was all well and good—even interesting on occasion—but anything beyond that seemed very cumbersome and unnecessary. How could Makani be expected to devote the proper attention to her training if he had a bunch of other random mons to take care of?

“At least let me find another mon for my trainer.”

“Fine.”

Malasada raised his nose again, sniffing, and his lips parted to take it in. For such a knowledgeable mon, he looked quite silly and empty-headed sometimes.

“I can’t wait to be able to speak with Makani! I have so many questions!”

“You could always ask Dax to translate, you know.”

“It’s not the same!” Wini huffed. That should be obvious. “How long do you think it will take for the bond to form?”

“For us? Not long. A week or so if we get some good battling in. Nerium though…” They both turned to the Popplio, whose smooth coat was covered in scratches and clinging plants that his trainer seemed to take no notice of. “That may take longer.”

“Yes, they don’t seem the most diligent or experienced. Not like _my_ trainer.”

Malasada rolled his eyes and ambled over to see if he could pull a few burrs off the Popplio. He could roll his eyes all he liked. He’d chosen the eldest grandson of a Kahuna, which was about as high as any rookie mon could aim—following diligently in his mother’s paw prints. Or so he _thought_ anyway. Wini was confident hers was the stronger bet.

Below the trio of humans continued to wander. Hau scratched his head in puzzlement, Azophi grumbled as the Pikipek settled down in their hair for a nap, and Dax snapped a picture. Makani was looking increasingly disappointed, so Wini swept down to his shoulder and nuzzled him, nibbling lightly on the shell of his ear. He giggled and tickled around her neck in return. It was the best feeling in the world.

While she was distracted, a Pichu popped out of the bushes in front of them. Wini froze in horror, but before Makani could react, Malasada stepped forward to accept the challenge. Hau was terribly excited about it, so Wini could relax and watch the battle. The Pichu landed a few solid zaps on Malasada, but he powered through with his usual ease and confidence. Defeated, the Pichu accepted Hau and Malasada’s offer and went into a ball. 

This was perfect, actually. Now that the others had their new pokemon, they wouldn’t want to keep searching, and with the sun well past zenith, it wouldn’t be too much longer until they all went home without a third catch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has been way too long and I'm sorry! (Mostly to me but that's beside the point :V) I really missed this story and these characters and I'm so so happy to be writing them again! I Have another chapter finished and edited that I'll post in a bit and another drafted, so there's at least a little more content on the way!
> 
> In the meantime I did a fairly substantive edit of chapter one if you wanna reread it. It has been a long time after all. Many thanks to Mouse for her diligent and painful beta work (and putting up with me in general). There are also cast sprites here too now. Couldn't resist making them for all of my runs once I got going.
> 
> Team Azophi  
  
Team Makani:  
  
Team Hau:  
  
Team Lillie:  



	3. All Along the Promenade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the trio explores Hau'oli City

In the quiet of the emerging dawn, Hau’oli City was still, but poised, the moment before a deep exhalation. The sunrise spilling over the ocean was reflected on the sides of the new steel and glass buildings, painting everything in a soft, golden light. It was definitely a new city. The few skyscrapers had sharp edges and hip, minimalist statues. Even the few bits of graffiti seemed charming instead of seedy.

Azophi couldn’t be bothered to care about any of this, and hoped that Hau didn’t take for-fucking-ever like last time. They kept scrolling through the same three photos on their InstaDitto feed, wishing in vain that there would be something new there to entertain them. Makani was staring out at the ocean, breathing deeply—_appreciating the day_. He had always said he was a morning person, but Azophi couldn’t help feeling just a little bit betrayed that it was true.

Their bag gave a shake and before that could percolate fully, red light burst out of it and formed into Nerium. The pudgy blue creature barked up at them with that tiring enthusiasm that was always pouring out.

“Can’t you just stay in your ball for a little while?” The dopey seal just barked again and dashed excitedly around the pavement. Azophi sighed. “This can’t be good for your flippers.”

Nerium paid absolutely no attention and called up to Makani’s owl instead, who hooted back primly. Azophi could feel Makani giving them that constipated little face that meant he didn’t like something but not enough to say anything about it. And really if he couldn’t be bothered Azophi sure as shit wasn’t going to, at least not until after the promised coffee and weird donuts.

Hau emerged from the malasada joint overladen with beverages and bags, perfect, gorgeous black cat at his heels. He bounced over, almost spilling the coffee, and a strong flowery aroma assailed Azophi’s nostrils. Not that it was bad. On second sniff, it was actually… quite good. It was sweet and almost musky with distinct fruity notes beneath the rich floral bouquet.

“Nanda? The fuck is in those?”

“Um,” said Hau, puzzled by their reaction, “I got a few different kinds…”

Makani was sniffing now too. “That’s not the Malasadas.”

They all sniffed for a moment and Azophi started to feel good. It was better than the coffee. “Whatever it is, it smells awesome and I want it! Is there a perfume store or something nearby?”

Hau looked around. “Wouldn’t carry this far,” he reasoned. Apparently he had switched over to his sensible mode. “That’s gotta be a Bounsweet.”

“A what?”

With an electric hum that Azophi had begun to dread, Dax zipped out of Makani’s bag and launched into the pokedex entry with their robotic voice. “Bounsweet, the mangosteen pokemon. Bounsweets are popular in Alola due to their ability to give off a sweet, calming scent. For this reason, they are often kept as pets and employed by Pokemon Centers to perfume their fountains.”

“Show me,” Azophi demanded, snatching them out of the air.

“Easy on the goods!” They complained, but promptly brought up several images of an adorable little plant-type that looked more like a fruit-shaped phone charm than a pokemon. It surpassed even Lisyan levels of inherent accessory appeal and Azophi couldn’t help the high noise that escaped their throat. 

“It’s so cute! I need one! How do we track it down?”

“How about you creatures with noses follow the scent?” Dax replied with annoyance. 

Azophi turned, trying to suss out the location of the wind, and noticed their starter walking off slowly, nose raised and twitching. “Have you got it, Nerium?” they asked him, releasing Dax.

Nerium looked back at them and cocked his head. He was so thick. Dax whistled and Nerium nodded vigorously before taking off down the street.

Azophi ran eagerly after him and the Kāhilis followed. There weren’t many people to dodge at this Arceus-forsaken hour, but Azophi weaved heedlessly around the few puttering tourists, business men in Alolan shirts, and some blonde in tennis whites and a huge-brimmed hat—which was actually pretty smart with how unrelenting the sun was this close to the equator. They made a mental note to get themselves something similar.

Nerium swerved down an alley and they followed it to the end to find… a dumpster. Nerium barked at it and Azophi grimaced. Why did they think this day was going to improve rather than get worse? They opened their mouth to tell Nerium to shut his when the lid of the dumpster lifted and the lovely scent wafted over them stronger than ever.

A pile of slime peered up over the side of the dumpster. Its two watery eyes shone out of its rainbow oil-slick body. 

Azophi looked back to the others. Hau’s head was cocked at an angle, as Makani stared thoughtfully.

“Is that thing a Betbeter?” They asked. “It’s so colorful.”

“Grimer were imported to Alola for the express purpose of dealing with trash that washes up on beaches from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.” Dax explained, wiki tone engaged. “Through gene splicing and selective breeding, Aether Foundation scientists created a variant that could more readily break down plastics. The steady diet of colorful plastics, metals and other refuse caused even further divergence, resulting in the gaudy appearance and secondary dark-type of today’s recycler variant.” They paused as the Grimer mumbled. “This one says he doesn’t like eating trash.”

“Then why is he in a dumpster?”

Dax gurgled back, and the Grimer made another, somehow different goopy sound. An appendage rose out of the dumpster revealing a pale bar of soap with the numeral 5 emblazoned on its side.

“He likes soap,” said Dax. “This is the back of a fancy soap store, apparently.”

Despite themselves, Azophi felt their eyebrows raise. “Yo, that’s some expensive pìhuà. Good taste, Sludgeo.” The Grimer burbled and its mouth curved up into a lopsided smile. “Wanna chill with us while we eat lunch?”

The Grimer stretched up and slopped over the side of the dumpster, and they all made their way more slowly back out of the alley and around the corner to the picnic area of one of the beachfront takeout joints. 

Hau went to order while they settled in. Azophi took a punch to the gut as Nerium jumped up into their lap. They groaned, but when they grabbed a flipper to move him, they noticed it felt rough and damp. They turned over his fins one by one to find all of them scraped raw. Azophi pulled a tube of ointment out of their bag with a sigh.

“This is why you shouldn’t be running around on pavement!”

Nerium burbled happily in response, totally oblivious to Azophi’s scolding tone, and they tried to ignore Makani’s stifled giggle. He was lucky he was so damn adorable. 

Hau lay out quite a spread as usual and Azophi passed the wrappings and other unwanted bits to the Grimer under the table as they tucked in.

* * *

After a trip to the fancy bath store and the parting gift of all the free samples Azophi could fit in their pockets, they parted ways with the perfumed Grimer and headed over to the marina to see Prof. Kukui’s catamaran. Dax was ready for a break by then and slipped into the mesh pocket of Makani’s backpack. The girl in white from before passed by again, this time in casual clothes, but that huge hat was unmistakable. Azophi tipped the brim of their own new sunhat at her as thanks for giving them the idea, but she didn’t notice.

The boat was a modest size—only a small cabin and no upper deck—but sleek and trim. Nice to look at, but not all that tempting to board.

“Hello there!” A voice called out to them. It belonged to someone in blindingly white capris with a Zizagoon stripe vest over a polo tee who jogged up with an excited bounce in their step and a Smeargle in their wake. They had fawn skin that played nicely against their soft pink hair and startlingly blue eyes.

“You’re Hau and Makani, right?” They asked breathlessly and the brothers nodded. One lock hung longer by their face and wooden bead that reminded Azophi of the island charm was tied there. “I’m—”

“Trial Captain Ilima!” Hau finished for them. “Alola!”

“Alola!” They chirped with a bright smile and enthusiastic wave. They had an odd mismatched pair of tawny leather gloves on. The right covered all but their thumb while the other only left their pinky exposed. “It’s so good to finally meet you!”

Makani waved back slowly and distractedly with a barely audible “Alola” of his own. Now that was odd. 

“Same!” Hau exclaimed in his place. “Tutu’s really glad he has such a competent new Captain.”

“Oh!” Said Ilima, surprise flickering over their face before they puffed up slightly. “That’s kind of him to say. I know I have rather large shoes to fill.” They turned to Azophi and their brow furrowed. “My apologies, I can’t quite recall your name.”

“That’s cuz I just moved here from Johto about a month ago.” They smiled and gave a little bow automatically. Oh well. The two handed wave was silly anyway. Maybe next time. “My name is Azophi, and I use they/them pronouns.”

Ilima’s eyes went wide. “Auwē! Me too!” They hastily bowed back. “Forgive my enthusiasm, I haven’t run into anyone else yet. There isn’t much of a queer community on Melemele. Anyway, it’s wonderful to meet you Azophi.”

Azophi grinned. “Same. I’m Makani’s friend.”

“Oh, Kahuna Hala did mention you the last time we spoke. Welcome to Alola! This day sure is turning. Are these your starters?” They crouched down, and Malasada marched up to them and headbutted their knee. They stroked his back in return and Malasada arched into it, tail vibrating. “Hey there, friend. Long time no see. Are you happy with your new trainer?” Malasada purred as they scratched him behind the ears. Ugh, it was so unfair! They gestured at the Pichu peeking out around Hau’s legs. “And who is this?”

“Mochi.”

“What a cute name! She’s a little shy, hm?”

“Only sometimes. You should see her battle.”

Malasada meowed to her, and she walked cautiously closer, placing each paw carefully. Ilima held out their hand and let her sniff. She gave them a little zap in greeting and they giggled. They stood up slowly so as not to scare her.

“So you picked the battle pro. Planning on being the next Kahuna, Hau?”

Hau flashed a big toothy grin. “You know it!”

“Excellent. What about you, Makani?”

“M-me?” Makani stuttered, starting visibly. Ilima nodded patiently. “Oh, um, I’d like to be a Trial Captain,” he almost whispered.

Ilima’s face lit up. “Well I certainly recommend it!” 

They reached out to give Wini a little caress, and Makani flushed brilliantly as they leaned into his space. Oh ho ho! So he had a crush. Well, hard to blame him. They were adorable. 

Wini, for her part, cocked her head and closed her eyes in contentment. Azophi had never seen her tolerate affection from anyone other than Makani before.

“Hala told me she’d end up with you, Makani,” Ilima said softly. “Seems she had already taken a liking to you before the ceremony.” Then they laughed because the little hussy of a Rowlet was twisting her head almost upside down so that they could scratch the right place. “She’s such a curious little mon. I’m sure she’ll make the perfect partner.”

Makani swallowed thickly and nodded, flustered well beyond the ability to speak. It was a privilege to witness—a side of their best friend they never would have seen with a vast ocean between them. They permitted the warmth to bathe them this time, if only for a moment. Not that they could help it if they tried. 

Then Ilima moved onto Nerium and gave his head a rub. The Popplio burbled and nudged excitedly at their hand. And in the Alolan sun’s bright glow, even their goofy starter’s overeager antics were less irritating. At least he was being cute for their new acquaintance. 

“And you, Azophi?”

With that Azophi was _smacked down_ from their high and into the concrete pier—damn Kukui and his contagious move puns! Like it wasn’t hard enough to answer without image of Prof. Six-Pack chattering in their ear like a shoulder Impidimp. “I, uh, I just sort of thought I’d give training a try.” Fuck.

“I hope you enjoy it, then,” Ilima responded with an easy smile, as if Azophi had given an answer just as valid as the other two. Then they gave Nerium one last fond rub. “Take good care of this one. He’s been through a lot.”

“Sure. Of course.”

“Anyway, I didn’t mean to interrupt you all, just didn’t want to miss the opportunity. If you’re busy I’ll— “

“Oh, no, these two were just showing me the sights,” Azophi interrupted. If they made it over that hurdle the rest of this interaction would be easy, and they wanted to keep Ilima around Makani as long as possible.

“Have you all been over to the museum yet? They just refurbished some of the exhibits.”

“Hey, nice Litten you got there.”

It was a pair of—Azophi wanted to say punks—leering at them from the shade of the dry dock. They were in matching white beanies with two large black dots on their foreheads and black bandanas with two white squares under their noses, covering their mouths. Their tanks were also black with a white X wrapping around their torso. Oh! Together the ensemble made a crude skull and crossbones. Sorta hokey, but also clever enough to be entertaining. And the flashy chains showed dedication to the theme.

Azophi was almost nodding to themselves when they noticed that Hau and Makani had gone tense beside them and the warm smile had slipped off Ilima’s face.

“Thanks?” Hau ventured.

One tapped the pokeball hanging off one of his chains and a Drowzee materialized on the pier between them. The other pulled a pokeball from his pocket and tossed it up to release a Zubat.

“How about you hand it over and you won’t get hurt.”

Before Azophi could fully process that these two goons were trying to be threatening, Ilima primly cleared their throat, turning their full attention back to the Kāhilis. “As I was saying, they just reopened this weekend. It’s a little mobbed right now, but if you go in the morning it’s not so bad.”

“Hey! Maybe you didn’t hear us, Pinky!” The one with Zubat barked with an aggressive stomp towards them.

“You can hand over that Smeargle too,” the other sneered.

“But if that’s not your cup of tea,” Ilima continued as if there had been no interruption, “there’s a very nice mall on the other end of town.”

“H-hey!” the Zubat punk stammered, shoulders already slumping.

“It’s a little pricey, but Gracidea will help you find anything you want.”

“He’s ignoring us…” the Drowzee punk muttered quietly to the other. 

The two pokemon, who had at least looked a little more gung-ho about actually coming to blows, faltered as their trainers hesitated. Makani’s Rowlet was giving them the evil eye, and Nerium glanced curiously between them and Azophi, waiting for a signal, but Hau’s Litten and Ilima’s Smeargle remained carefully disinterested.

“I know shopping can be a little… stressful sometimes when you’re not the average customer. But the staff there are excellent.”

Finally the Zubat punk set his jaw and lunged for Ilima’s arm. “Hey!” Before he could reach, there was a pale blur and a crack like a whip. The punk withdrew his hand with a pained yelp and clutched it to his chest.

Ilima turned only their head to look at him. “Save the moves for battles, Monet. Unless that’s what you two are after?”

The one who’d been struck was shrinking back, thoroughly cowed. And who wouldn’t be? The move looked even faster than a Quick Attack. Might even be Extreme Speed. But his companion growled. “Pound that Smeargle, Nyquil!”

The other took half a second to back him up. “Gust, Britney!”

“Rock Slide.”

A barrage of stones rained down on the Drowzee and Zubat before they could finish mustering their moves, and everyone but Ilima took a step back. The Drowzee staggered but remained standing. The Zubat was knocked flat to the concrete. As the dust settled, a red beam shot out and retrieved the downed pokemon.

The punks shared a scared look and the one who still had a pokemon in the fight blurted out a command. “Confusion!”

There was a flicker of darkness like a too long blink and the tuft at the end of the Smeargle’s tail hit the Drowzee the face with an audible thwack. It fell back heavily and the Smeargle stalked back to Ilima’s side, tail swishing derisively. The two grunts just stared at Ilima, mouths presumably hanging open in dumb shock behind their bandanas. Azophi let out a low whistle. They were almost there themselves.

“I’ll give you a chance to re-think trying to steal a pokemon in front of a Trial Captain,” Ilima said curtly.

“Oh shit!”

It was remarkable how intimidating they could be for someone so small, slight, and sweet. Azophi was certainly taking notes. “Unless you want to spend the remainder of your day at the station, I suggest you leave.”

The one with the Drowzee finally thought to recall it—it hadn’t moved since it fell—and they both ran off, stumbling over themselves in their haste. Ilima sighed, and their Smeargle surveyed the rubble coving the dock before and trilling questioningly up at his trainer.

“Yes, Monet, if you would,” Ilima answered, voice soft again.

Monet nodded and began sweeping the remnants of his Rock Slide off the pier. Malasada got up of his own accord to help by batting some of the smaller rocks into the water. Nerium and Wini followed suit, using their water and wind attacks to clean the rest.

Was anyone gonna say anything? “So, what in the high hell just happened?”

“Those two are the local Team Skull ruffians,” said Ilima and Makani nodded in confirmation. “The gang isn’t very active on Melemele, but they’ve been getting bolder.”

“Wait, you guys have a gang problem? Alola has a gang?” For some reason Azophi was having a hard time picturing it.

“Yeah,” said Makani. “It’s nothing on the scale of Rocket, but they do steal people’s pokemon and try to sabotage the Trials.”

Hau crossed his arms behind his head. “They’re mostly Island Challenge dropouts and their leader has it out for the Trial Captains and Z-Captains.”

“But if they’re all flunkies, how are they a threat?”

Monet snorted derisively and crossed his arms, muttering something to Ilima that made them stifle a laugh.

“Very true. More of an annoyance than a threat, at least on Melemele.”

“Well, we can’t all be winners, I guess. At least these guys have a decent aesthetic. Remember those Club de Flamme uniforms?” Azophi gave a shiver. “Horrific.”

Ilima laughed, covering their mouth politely. It was light and ringing—almost a giggle—and their soft face scrunched adorably. Makani looked about ready to swoon. Maybe Azophi could get a picture before— 

But Ilima regained their composure quickly. “Monet and I should really be going, but it was wonderful to run into you all. Please enjoy the rest of your day. I hope to see you at my Trial!” They waved, still smiling merrily. “Alola!”

Azophi grinned to themselves as they watched Makani watch Ilima jog off. His face was still rosy and had a funny sort of expression on it Azophi had never seen before.

“Well, it was good to finally meet them,” Hau said brightly. “They were really lovely.”

Makani continued to stare blankly into the middle distance at the point Ilima had disappeared from view. “They were like cotton candy,” he said quietly, tone oddly flat.

“Oh yeah, their hair was great,” said Hau. How oblivious could he get? 

But Makani himself saved Azophi the trouble of clearing up the situation. “No, like I want them to melt in my mouth.”

Now there was their boy! “They’re like a Neapolitan ice cream and I want to scoop all of their flavors!” Fucking nailed it!

Hau’s arms dropped and he eyed both of them askance. “Wow, you two have no chill.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gonna aim for monthly updates from now on. I have a bit of a buffer from Camp NaNoWriMo to work off of at least.
> 
> Team Azophi  
  
Team Makani:  
  
Team Hau:  
  
Team Lillie:  



	4. Down Beside That Red Firelight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Azophi finally meets Lillie in person and tries to figure out their new life.

Pua’s Restaurant & Bar was a dive on the east outskirts of Hau’oli a few blocks back from the boardwalk. The outside was drab and in need of a fresh coat of paint, but Azophi wasn’t complaining. After six weeks without takoyaki, they were aching for some fried food that wasn’t a donut. 

The inside was about what they’d expected from this type of establishment. Padded booths along one wall, little mica-topped tables arranged around the column the middle, and swivel-stool bar in the corner. The only thing that separated it from any Unovan diner was that there was a charcoal-fired grill manned by an aproned Magmar instead of a glass case full of pies. That and the bartender was an Oranguru who mixed the drinks with their hands, but slung the bottles and glasses around with their psychokinesis. 

The trio took their seats at one of the booths and Azophi began to read over the menu printed on their paper placemat. 

“I still can’t believe you won a Munchlax in the mall raffle!” Chirped Makani. “They’re so rare!”

“I don’t know,” Azophi muttered distractedly with far less enthusiasm. “There’s plenty of them in Johto and they seemed suspiciously happy to send him on his way.”

“Still powerful though,” said Hau. “You should see Mauna in action! We had to order all new strength panels just to get the data on her Mega Punch.”

A waitress came to take their order and Azophi asked for a fruity mixed drink to start. One of the big perks of this island was all of the fresh fruit, particularly berries. There were so many that Azophi had apparently never known the true flavor of until they moved here. 

Makani ordered a pog—whatever the hell that was—and Hau asked for a kiawe honey porter. Azophi had never been a fan of beer, but the brews around here sounded interesting. Perhaps they’d ask Hau for a sip. 

It didn’t take long for Azophi to get pleasantly buzzed, even as they powered through the impressive spread of classic Alolan fair on the table. Hau, meanwhile—now on his third beer—was decidedly tipsy. Obnoxiously cheerful starter-stealer or no, he was amusing when drunk. That was when all the good stories came out—the ones he was normally too polite to tell. The current anecdote was another of the professor’s near fatal mishaps in the lab. This time involving a Pinsir and the move Guillotine.

Hau leaned across the table towards Azophi, arms spread wide in a pantomime of the action he was describing. “And then just as the pincers close—” Hau stopped short, staring over Azophi’s shoulder at the bar, and his voice dropped to near inaudible. “Oh sweet Tapus it’s Lillie!”

“Eehhh?” That didn’t seem like a punchline. Azophi turned around in the booth and had to lean a bit to see around the pillar, but it was easy enough to pick out the object of Hau’s staring. There was a young woman in a white dress perched primly on one of bar stools at the far side of the establishment. “Is that the girl in Kukui’s lab? 

“Yeah,” Makani answered. “I didn’t know she was coming out tonight. Did she text you?” He asked Hau.

Hau was already consulting his phone. “No. I wonder if she’s doing okay.”

These Worry Seeds. “Let’s call her over!”

Hau buried his face in hands and whined. “Noooo… It’s so much harder to pretend I don’t wanna kiss her when I’m drunk.”

Azophi arched an eyebrow at him. “So you _do_ have a thing for her?” Azophi had more or less gleaned Hau had a huge crush on his fellow lab tech from the way he talked about her, but he’d refused to confess to it before now. 

Hau snapped back up from his slump. “Yes! But keep it down, okay? She doesn’t know.”

“Why not just ask her out? What’s the big deal?”

“I can’t _now_. It would make things so awkward.”

Azophi snorted. “It doesn’t have to be. I don’t mind. You’re fine with it, right Makani?”

“Uhhh—”

“Not awkward like that! I mean—It’s just—Not after everything.”

Azophi sighed and gestured for him to spill. “Out with it.”

“I’ve liked her since we met, but she had been through a lot and she was still just getting used to everything. It didn’t seem like a good time to make a move.”

“Okay, I follow you. Good choice. Continue.”

“Well, you wouldn’t know it talking to her now, but when she first moved here she was kinda shy and really nervous. She spent all of her time hiding in the lab. It seemed like she needed a friend, so we became friends.”

“Mmhmm.” So drunk Hau was also a rambler apparently. Noted.

Makani was fiddling with his fingers on the table, staring off into the middle distance at nothing in particular. That was… something.

“And then we became good friends, like really good friends. I mean, we work together and we hang out all the time and she tells me her stuff and I tell her my stuff.”

“Yes, all of those friend things,” Azophi said dryly. Was he ever going to get to his point?

“But I’ve never actually told her that I like her.”

“So you’ve been into her all this time and never done anything about it?” Wow.

“I’ve tried!” Hau bleated in response to Azopi’s tone. “It just never worked out. Like this one time I was going to tell her with a song, but I got really nervous and…”

“Dragged me into it,” Makani finished for him.

“Yeah, so we performed it together.” Hau had the decency to sound embarrassed and contrite, but Azophi still slapped their forehead. “And when we got to the end I…”

“Wound up playing it off like it wasn’t a huge romantic gesture,” Makani summed up with a roll of his eyes. 

Hau flinched.

Ah, so maybe it was war flashbacks? It was decidedly more pointed than the bothers’ usual jabs at each other. Whatever was going on, Azophi was getting too the bottom of it.

“And she bought that?”

“Yep,” said Hau in a tone of absolute defeat.

“She can be,” Makani paused a moment to choose his words carefully, “a bit oblivious sometimes. I don’t think she had many friends before she moved here.”

What were they going to do with these two? “So be direct. You’re just psyching yourself out. Go ask her out.” Hau whined even more pitifully than before. “Fine, I’ll go talk to her and then you’ll see there is nothing scary about it.”

“Azophi, no!” Hau called after them.

But they were already up and striding confidently towards the bar. This would be good. They’d have a little fun and prove Hau was a coward. Whenever he finally did ask her out, they could all have a laugh about it—or Azophi and Makani would anyway. They threw a wink back at Hau before tapping Lillie on the shoulder. 

She turned to look at them and the opening of “Fat Bottomed Girls” started playing on the bar speakers. Nice. Her pupils dilated and her jaw slackened. Azophi grinned.

“Hi, my name is Azophi.”

“Hi,” she said back, as if from far away. Then she blinked owlishly a few times.

Right. She might not have remembered their name. “I’m Makani’s friend from Johto. You’re Lillie, right?”

“Yes!” There was a spark of recognition, and she cleared her throat. “Makani has been telling me about you for so long that it’s almost difficult to believe we're only just meeting!”

Nice. Good. “I’m glad we ran into each other. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Suddenly she looked a bit stricken. “O-oh?” Hau was right about the nerves.

“Only good things,” they assured her. “The Kāhilis can’t stop singing your praises.”

Her pale face flushed and she looked away. “Well, you know those two.” She waved airily. “They’re much too kind.”

Now that wouldn’t do. Azophi leaned against the bar to put themselves back in her field of vision. “But they didn’t even mention how pretty you are. All they did was tell me you’re lovely on the inside.”

Lillie’s blush deepened and the beginnings of a shy smile began to tug at her lips. “They didn’t mention you were so gorgeous either.”

Damn! Was Hau even trying? If he couldn’t flirt with this one, he was even more of a hopeless amateur than they thought. Azophi was gonna get along great with her. “Then they’re really not doing their jobs.” They leaned in. “We’ll have to give them an earful about sharing all important details when we see them.”

Lillie giggled. It was a charming one too—nervous but genuine and half stifled behind curled fingers. The picture was coming clearer. 

“So I hear you work in Kukui’s lab?”

Lillie jolted minutely, breaking the eye contact Azophi had let linger. “Oh, yes, but I’m more of an assistant to the professor than a lab tech like Hau.”

“Not the way I hear it,” Azophi countered. “Seems there’s a betting pool on where you went to school.”

That brought an uncomfortable twist to her lip and her eyes resting on their shoulder. They needed to ease her somehow, this was a chat, not an interrogation. Azophi shifted their weight to nonchalantly cock their hip, further relaxing their posture. Lillie’s eyes followed the movement, running down Azophi’s outline for a second before returning to their face. She swallowed. Perfect.

“So, did you go to college or do you study physics for fun? I won’t tell.”

“I was homeschooled…” She paused and looked down at her drink, stirring the dregs absently. “My father who taught me was a physicist. The subject always came fairly naturally to me and it’s useful in the lab sometimes, so I do my best to study on my own. I’ve taken some online courses, but I don’t have a formal degree.”

Unusual sure, but nothing she needed to be so self-conscious about. “Why not just admit that you’re really bright on top of being beautiful and charming? Why all the coy disguises? You should own it.”

Lillie’s attention snapped back to them and she scanned their face—maybe looking for sarcasm she wasn’t going to find. Azophi may have worded that a bit playfully, but they meant it and met her gaze steadily for as long as it took for the message to go through. Her eyes were bright green, like sunlight through leaves rather than jewel-toned or muddled with brown. All those people who _cooed_ and _awed_ over Azophi’s gray ones back in Johto should hop a plane over here to see some real variation.

Lillie flushed again, this time all the way to the tips of her ears. “You’re really great! Can we go out sometime?” She half shouted out of nowhere.

What? Wait, _what??_ They had definitely heard that wrong. There was no way that—

Lillie stood up abruptly. “I really put you on the spot. That wasn’t mannerly of me. Why not give me your answer when I return from the ladies’ room? I'm a bit shocked at my own boldness, so I’m going to go hyperventilate in a stall.” Then she bolted.

Oh. _Oh no._ Azophi had not misheard. (They filed that last bit away for later, when they weren’t having a crisis.) Their big mouth had gotten them into plenty of trouble before, but this current predicament was new and had a lot more twists than they would have liked. They had to go back to the Kāhilis. There was no other way for them to even begin solving this. Besides, they would have seen her run off.

Azophi shuffled back over and plopped down into the booth. The waitress had cleared their table, so there was nothing to stare at instead of Hau and Makani’s waiting faces and nothing to put in their mouths other than the words they were already tumbling around in there.

“Well?” Makani prompted after a too long silence. “What happened?”

“ I…” Azophi started and stopped. “I hecked up. I hecked up so bad.”

“Oh?” said Hau confusedly. 

Fuck shit they better just say it. “She wants to go out sometime.”

“She WHAT?!” Hau yelped, voice rising precipitously.

“This isn’t my fault! You could have stopped me!”

“Me? What was _I_ supposed to do? Shout across the bar, ‘No, stop! Don’t seduce my future wife!’”

“Maybe,” Azophi grumbled. They would have liked to know it was that fucking important to him before they went over! But that Rapidash had long since left the stables. It was time for damage control. “But I’ll fix this, I promise! I’ll turn her down, and that’ll be the end.”

“_NO!_” Hau wailed even louder.

Azophi sat back in their seat and blinked at him. They glanced over at Makani for guidance, but he was hunched over staring at the table with his temples in his hands like he had a headache. Honestly, mood. Seemed they had to puzzle this out themselves. 

“So… you want me to go out with her?”

“No, but if you turn her down she’ll be crushed! She doesn’t need that right now.” 

Well, that was actually rather sweet, but it didn’t help Azophi’s predicament in the slightest. “What do you want me to do?”

Hau groaned into his hands. “Shit, I don’t know!”

Makani was sitting back up now, but he only offered Azophi a shrug, biting his lip.

This was a disaster, and they didn’t have time to sort it out before she—

“Hau! Makani! I didn’t know you were out tonight!”

“Yeah.” Hau sounded hollow, almost horse. “We, uh, we just got here.”

“Azophi and I finally met! Isn’t that great?” There was strain in the cheerfulness, but she did just put herself out there. Nervous or no, she had guts.

Makani flashed her and Azophi and reassuring grin. “Yeah. We didn’t know you were coming.”

“Oh, it was a last minute thing, and I didn’t want to bother you,” she explained with a wave. “Prof. Burnet came over for dinner, and then it seemed best to leave them alone for a bit.” Her eyes drifted off into the middle distance.

Hau reached across the table towards her and tilted his head until he caught her eyes. ”You know you can always call me for that.”

Lillie smiled—shy and distant, but warm. “Thank you, Hau.” She put her hand in his and gave it a small squeeze before sliding into the booth next to him. “All’s well that ends well! We’re all gathered now!” 

Makani, bless his soul, flagged down the waitress to cut short the awkward silence that followed. Since they were now pretending to have just arrived, they all felt obligated to order something. Hau asked for a lager and large order of fried pickles. Woof. Azophi decided they’d had enough to drink for the night and requested curly fies.

“All the fixings?”

Fixings? Was Alola one of those regions that slopped gravy and Arceus knew what else all over their fried potatoes?

“Yes please,” Makani answered for them, giving Azophi a reassuring nod. “You’ll like them.”

“So Azophi,” Lillie began tentatively. Oh boy. “I hope this isn’t too prying a question—” Oh _no_— “but do you, by any chance, have a Bounsweet on your team?”

That was sort of oddly specific, but not invasive. Then it clicked. 

“Oh I wish!” No, we actually ran into this Betbeter—eh, Grim-er?—yeah, he lives behind this swanky bath store, right? And that’s what he eats: all the left over samples and damaged bars and whatnot, so he smells amazing! We’ve been getting lunch with him every day”

“That’s very unusual. I take it he’s quite affable for a wild pokemon, then?”

“Yeah, he’s a hoot!” This wasn’t hard. They could get through this fine. “he just does his own thing, you know? Doesn’t care what anyone thinks. You gotta respect it. And Dax says all the soap and lotion is what makes him so much more colorful than most. Just further proof that he’s living life right.”

“Runoff from hygiene products can be quite damaging to the environment. I’m glad to know that Recycler variants are able to break it down so well, since they were mostly developed to work on plastics.”

“The Grimer y’all have here are rad—all rainbow colors and toxic crystal teeth!—Not that I’m not a fan of poison-types. Them and dark-types are always getting a bad Wrap because of all the secondary effects, but that’s what makes them interesting.”

“Yes, there is a good deal of strategy to be explored there as I understand it.”

Azophi slapped the table. “Exactly! I’m gonna need both for my roster.”

Lillie cocked her head slightly, brow furrowing in confusion. “So, he didn’t agree to be on your team?” The dumb shock must have shone on Azophi’s face, because she rushed to amend herself. “I didn’t mean to presume! I only thought, since the two of you get along so well, and, as you say, you are fond of his typing, that you might have asked him to take the Island Challenge with you.” She tugged at a braid, shoulders hunching, and Azophi noticed that the one was a good deal looser than the other. “But I suppose you had some other reason not too.”

“The reason is I’m as sharp as a Slowpoke! These two were right.” They gestured at Hau and Makani. “You are a genius. I’m gonna ask him first thing tomorrow!”

That seemed to buoy her up, and she asked about their current team with a good deal more confidence. Azophi breezed past the whole starter thing and told her about the rest. Azophi’s description of Pimento being such a hog that she couldn’t get airborne for an hour after a meal made her snort. And she agreed with them about the free Munchlax being suspect—take that Hau! Then she was curious about the omamori on their bag and Azophi could go on about that for _hours_. The lecture was cut short—probably for the best—by the arrival of their food and drinks.

Azophi accepted their basket with relish, but a second glance gave them pause. Rather than the typical orangey seasoning, the contents appeared to have sesame seeds and familiar flakes of seaweed sprinkled over them. 

“Is this… furikake? On fries?” The accompanying dip was reddish, but _not_ ketchup.

“Yep!” Makani chirped. “Try the nanab sauce.”

Azophi did and it was _amazing_. The sauce would have been a delight on its own, but all three combined was a revelation. Why didn’t every region prepare them this way? “Alola knows what the fuck is up!”

“Too right,” Hau croaked, reaching across to dunk one of his pickle slices—horrifying. Lillie was going to notice something was off if he kept this up. But her eyes were on Azophi, watching hungrily as they stuffed another fry in their mouth. Oh. At least Hau had another moment to compose himself. They pushed the basket towards her.

“Have some.”

“Oh, there’s no need to—”

“Split it with me. I can’t eat it by myself and these are way too good to go to waste.”

She smiled. “In that case, I will do my upmost to assist.”

Lillie tried to disguise her delight at first, nibbling delicately in a way that suggested she’d never eaten junk food before in her life—poor girl—but her pace steadily increased until she was munching them just as casually as Azophi was. They took that as their cue to try asking a few more questions—get to know a little more about her.

They started with a gentle pitch: what was it like living with move-taking, shirt-decrying, master of puns himself? It took a little prodding, which Makani helped with, but she finally offered up a story not unlike Hau’s from earlier that had them laughing and her covering her mouth to hide a smirk. She asked about Azophi having to complete their degree during their Challenge, and they lobbed back a question about what she did in her free time. She admitted to playing tennis with one of Hau’s college friends and swimming in the ocean near Kukui’s lab. 

“Not that I’m particularly skilled at either.”

“Now that I don’t believe.”

“You’re right,” Hau finally grunted. “Venus is team captain, and you hold your own.”

“And your strokes are perfect.” Makani added, taking yet another of Hau’s fried pickles. Azophi hasn’t managed to puzzle out why he kept eating them when his face twitched in disgust every time. “You’re a much faster swimmer than either of us.”

“Well—” Lillie began, but Azophi cut her off.

“Case closed! Unless you want to accuse these boys of perjury?”

“N-no.”

“Then you accept the facts as they stand: you’re great.”

Lillie flushed and bit at her lip. Then she jolted at a soft buzz emanating from her dress pocket. She pulled out her phone in lue of responding, which was fair enough. It seemed like the Kāhili’s had been working quite awhile just to get her this far.

“It’s Prof. Burnet,” she announced, then stood. “And it’s rather late. I should go.”

“Alright then,” said Azophi with a wave. “Goodnight.”

“See you tomorrow,” said Makani.

Hau resurfaced from his funk and met her eyes. “If you ever need to crash…”

“I know…” Lillie smiled fondly at him. “You’re too good to me.” 

Hau smiled back, and how Lillie didn’t see the lovestruck Growlithe in it, Azophi didn’t know. She took a few steps towards the door before stopping in her tracks. When she turned back to them, her face was redder than ever, but she swallowed and didn’t falter.

“So, Azophi, what’s your answer?”

Shit. Azophi glanced at Hau, who looked as though his soul had flown to the Distortion World to scream into the abyss. They glanced at Makani, who looked vaguely sick to his stomach—probably from those fried pickles. They had to do this alone. They looked back at up at Lillie’s nervous but hopeful expression and the desision was made.

“Yes.”

“Really?” She clapped her hands over her mouth. How could she be so aghast? Surely someone like her had people after her all the time. She hurriedly lowered her hands and rallied. “I’m so glad! I’ll give you my number—or I suppose you could get it from Hau or Makani?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay. Goodnight!”

She practically skipped to the door, then turned back one final time to wink at Azophi before she was gone.

Azophi was almost afraid to look at Hau again. When they did, they found him slumped over the table with that tired, far-off look still in his eyes.

“Lord Giratina take me,” he mumbled behind his arm.

Azophi sucked a breath in through their teeth. “I’m really sorry.” Hau nodded. This was somehow better and worse than expected. What were they even supposed to say to this poor bastard? “I… guess we know now that she isn’t straight. Maybe that’s why she hasn’t asked you out?”

“She’s pan. She already told me.”

“Oh…” That’s it. That’s all they had. Fuck fuck fuck. “So, we’re still buddies, right?”

Hau sighed. “Yeah…” THANK MESPRIT. “It’s not like she hasn’t been interested in anyone else before. Just, not like this.” He groaned. “It was only a matter of time. I’m such an idiot.”

“I mean, yeah.”

Hau snapped up and glared at Azophi. “And you’re every bit as sweet and sensitive as Makani said you were.”

Right. “Sorry.”

All three of them just sat there in the booth for awhile, not looking at each other. There was no one else left in the restaurant portion. Only the bar still had patrons.

Makani was the one to break the silence. “How about we go home?”

At least Azophi’s parents would probably be asleep.

* * *

Sitting down for lunch with the Grimer the next day was a balm for the trio’s raw nerves. His engulfing perfume and low, melodious voice nearly had Azophi making up the sleep they’d missed last night. He sipped slowly from the sample packet of body wash Azophi had nicked from the mall, droopy eyes drifting shut with pleasure. 

Nerium, Wini, and Malasada shared a plate of Wishiwashi yakitori on the other end of the picnic table while Mochi sat on the bench next to Hau, steadily nibbling away at a leppa fritter. Pimento meanwhile, was sending bits of orange pokebean scattering across the table as she drilled through it with alarming gusto. Not to be outdone, Orris stood on the bench next to Azophi, putting his head at table height the better to shovel food in his face at maximum speed.

“He said yes,” Dax confirmed in their slightly off voice. “He’s enjoyed having friends, and he figures it’s high time to see the world.” Dax paused to listen as the Grimer burbled again. “He’s glad to have such a nice trainer?” Even with the voice software’s limited intonation, their skepticism was evident. They lowered their volume to mutter. “Clearly he doesn’t know you too well.”

“Hey!” Azophi jerked their thumb at Nerium. “I have a water clown and I’m not afraid to douse your circuits!” They turned their attention to the Grimer. “Great to have you aboard! I already picked out a name for you, Arumas.” They dug a ball out of their bag and held it out to him. The Grimer smiled wide and wobbly before slapping the button wetly with a goopy paw. He disappears in a flash of red light. “Yes! Pokemon number four!”

“Wow.” It was a lot less enthusiastic than Makani’s usual. Azophi dipped their head to catch his eye. “Oh—it’s just—I still haven’t caught a single pokemon.”

“It’s fine, bro.” Hau gave his brother’s shoulder a squeeze. “Wini has the whole rest of the crew to practice with. No need to rush into anything.”

That felt pointed and Azophi narrowed their eyes at him before sending Arumas back out. Were they gonna let this passive-aggressive shit slide? Could they let it slide?

Azophi opened their moth but got a facefull of feathers instead of cutting words. Pimento clumsily clawed and flapped her way up Azophi’s hair to the crown of their head. There, the little beach ball settled herself with a satisfied sigh.

“Ow! Pimento!” 

The Pikipek fluttered her wings and fluffed up her feathers, claws digging into their scalp. Why did they catch this asshole bird again? They slumped moodily, having learned better than to try and remover her, only to find Orris pilfering the rest of their lunch. 

“How did I wind up with two gluttons?” They groaned. “Y’all are gonna be so expensive!”

“Raising pokemon is tough,” said Hau.

Azophi jerked their head to tell him off only to receive a sharp disciplinary peck from Pimento for the disturbance. Then Hau was gathering up the trays and everyone’s trash and striding off to throw it out.

Azophi sighed, watching him go over their shoulder. “ Geez, I didn’t even know he _could_ be sad.”

“Well, it probably won’t last long,” said Makani. “Or at least not this level of intensity. He cares about her a lot. We both do. Just… be careful, please.” He was carefully scratching at Wini’s neck instead of looking at Azophi.

“We wouldn’t be in this boat if he’d just asked her out already.”

Makani shrugged. “Doesn’t matter now. She asked you out and you accepted, so whatever you do from here on out is your decision.”

“So, you think I should go out with her?”

“I just said it was your call!” Even with how tricky things were, Azophi was still surprised by the snap. Makani seemed surprised too. He bit his lip and took a breath before continuing much more softly. “All I ask is that you try and be as nice as possible about it. And give Hau a little space. He’ll come around.”

They could do that right? They had to.

Hau returned and sat down heavily. Azophi sagged under Pimento’s weight and said nothing. Okay, they couldn’t fight with Hau, but there had to be something they could do to get back on Makani’s good side. Orris clambered onto the table beside them to lick up the remaining crumbs. Disgusting. And how were they going to deal with two rock-headed, hollow-legged pokemon? Think Azophi! Then it came to them.

“Zeph, how about you take Orris or Pimento?”

“R-really?” Makani stammered in cautious disbelief. “I don’t want to break up your team.”

“You’d be doing me a favor. This way I won’t be broke before we hit the first Trial.”

“Um, I guess I’ll take Pimento—if that’s alright with her.” That was quick. This mush really did like their Pikipek—somehow. Excellent.

Dax’s chirping explanation was nearly interrupted by a startled shriek from Wini. Her head did a full one-eighty to face Dax and Pimento.

“So, what do you say, little bird? Would you be on my team?”

Pimento ignored the Rowlet and chirped at Makani. 

“She wants to know if you’ll feed her,” Dax translated.

“Of course!”

“Then she’s all good.”

Makani held out his hand and the Pikipek finally hopped off Azopi’s head onto it.

“Look Wini, you finally got a teammate, isn’t that great?”

The Rowlet’s face was a bit difficult to read, but her loud hooting sounded anything but excited. Pimento cheeped sharply back and turned away. No fear and no manners. Typical of the little shit. 

Makani shied away as Wini flapped and hooted even louder. “Wini! Cut it out!” 

She did as he said, but looked about as grumpy and disheveled as Azophi had ever seen her. They stifled a snicker.

“What was that about?” Makani asked 

“Um…” was Dax’s eloquent reply. Even the cheeky, smart-alack Rotom didn’t want to repeat the profanity she’d no doubt been screeching. “She’s surprised?” Real smooth.

But that brought another thought to Azophi’s mind. “They said ‘it varies’ in trainer school, but when do you think we’ll stop needing you to translate for us?”

“Human-pokemon communication depends on a wide variety of factors,” said Dax, switching instantly back to encyclopedia mode, “but data says you will likely start to understand your pokemon between a week and a month after training begins.”

Great. Azophi didn’t know what they expected.

“Bonding is tough to predict.” Hau had decided to grace them with his wisdom. “Some people say the understanding comes on slowly and for others it’s all at once. Battling with and taking good care of your pokemon helps.”

Azophi had to bite their tongue at the emphasis he put on the last part. They were _trying!_ Unlike him, they didn’t get to grow up learning about this shit all day every day! Besides which, there was no way Hau’s level of coddling was necessary. Johton trainers certainly didn’t do it that way.

“Anyway!” Makani chirped, hopping to his feet. “Mahalo ā nui, Teapot. This is perfect.”

Ugh, he was so cute and sincere. Azophi tossed their hair, combing out a few avian tangles with their fingers in the process.

“Not a problem, good buddy! Glad I could help.” They handed over Pimento’s ball and Makani hitched it to his belt right next to Wini’s “Of course, that doesn’t answer the question of how I’m gonna keep the remaining bottomless pit fed.”

“Win battles.” said Hau flatly. He had really perfected the art of being insufferably right and wrong at the same time. “There are plenty of trainers around.”

“If you keep up a regular schedule, your battle account will pay out every week.” See? It wasn’t that hard to be actually helpful. Although, what they really needed was a few pointers on the battle culture here. Nīnau-sensei spent a lot of time on the rules of engagement and how to use the battle app and none on how you were supposed to start a battle not arranged by a third party.

“So, I just roll up to strangers and yell ‘fight me!’?”

“Yeah.”

Keep it together, Azophi. Focus. Remember what is a stake. 

They withdrew Orris and Arumas and slung their bag back over their shoulder.

“Alright, Nerium, let’s get to work.”

* * *

Azophi hated to admit it, but finding and winning battles actually was almost as simple as Hau had made it sound. The west end of Hau’oli’s beaches was divided into slapdash battlefields marked by furrows dug into the sand. Lots of had gathered there, milling about and chatting as they watched other matches and waited their turn. They even divided themselves by level more or less, with the more experienced using the dry sand closest the boardwalk as an added challenge while the rookies took to the squares closest to the ocean to take advantage of the flatter and firmer terrain. And since it was still early in the season, there were plenty of newbie challengers for Azophi to square off with.

Nerium was in his element this close to the water. His usually clumsy flippers were an advantage on the shifting sand, and he could pull water from the waves as well as his mouth for some attacks. Anything that couldn’t swim well was easy pickings pinned against the shallows, and nothing could escape Disarming Voice.

Hau even had a few complimentary things to say about the performance.

By the time Nerium was flagging and Azophi withdrew him for a rest, they’d mowed through a good chunk of the trainers and earned a pretty tidy sum. Then Makani suggested another spot: an empty lot just a few blocks north near the city’s other Pokemon Center.

As much as Orris was, predictably, a huge pain in the ass, Hau had been right about him packing some punch under all that floor and flab. With some cajoling and promises of pokebeans waiting for him, he stepped into the ring and absolutely smashed the first few opponents. He had an unexpectedly good moveset and Azophi barely needed to instruct him. He also decided on his own when he’d batted enough to earn his reward, but that was fine for now.

Arumas was less self-directed and rather slow, but he absorbed hits las if they were gentle pats. Besides which, the combo of Sluge and Bite made up for it on their own.

Azophi skipped back to the Kāhilis to the tune of battle winnings jingling into their battle account.

“I need a break! Want to get some malasadas?”

“Sure!” Said Makani, offering Azophi a high five. “You did great out there!”

They both turned to Hau. Nothing. Damn, Azophi thought for sure that would work.

“My treat.” One last ditch attempt.

Hau finally glanced their way. “The malasada place on Sunset Boulevard is the best one.”

* * *

Azophi turned their head this way and that to inspect their hair in the salon’s wrap-around mirrors. They were transformed. Gone was the smooth black they’d been shackled to their entire life, replaced by a glossy, platinum blonde. It was almost as if there was another person in the mirrors. But it felt _right_. Maybe it was more like they’d never seen themselves properly before.

“What do you think?” The hairstylist prompted. “Can I make any adjustments?”

“No. Absolutely not. This is the best haircut I’ve ever had.”

“Oh! I’m glad!” She exclaimed. “Had me worried for minute there.” She grinned toothily at them in the mirror, and Azophi began to wonder if that was the common smile here.

Azophi made sure to perform the proper Alolan goodbye as they parted and went up to the counter for the bill. Makani was sitting on a couch by the door with Dax on his lap, typing rapidly until something snagged his thoughts. He pressed a fist to his mouth, brow furrowing. As soon as the ding signaling a successful payment went through, Azophi bounced over to him. Makani looked up and smiled.

“How do I look?” They demanded with a dramatic toss of their hair for effect. It flowed gracefully over the arm they outstretched to spread it in a bright cascade.

“I love it,” said Makani. “It’s very you.”

“I know, right? I’ve wanted to do this for years!” They couldn’t help the excitement pulling their voice up an octive.

The little green light that indicated Dax’s rear camera was active came on. “Oooh, get a load of Alolan variant Azophi!” 

Azophi snickered. That was a pretty good one. Dax floated up and spun, switching to their forward cam so Azophi could see themselves before they snapped the picture. They captured a few more poses and angles before Azophi was satisfied and sent the results over without a fuss this time. Azophi was midway through posting them before they remembered that it wasn’t the best idea. At least not yet.

“Is there any chance I could crash at your place tonight?” Makani cocked his head at the question. “I’d rather not deal with Okāsan,” they explained. “That way she can see it when I pick my shit up in the morning and I can just walk right out and skip the lecture.”

“Sure, whatever you need.”

Azophi felt their shoulders fall and heard the crackle. How long had they been so tense?

“If I could be sincere for just a moment over here, I never thought I’d ever do anything like this. Not just the hair, or the whole trainer business. I never thought I’d be so happy spending time with people. So, yeah. Thanks Makani.”

When they finally let themselves actually look at him, he was tearing up.

“Keep it together, cinnamon roll.”

Makani jumped up from the couch and flung his arms around Azophi. “Can’t!”

Azophi whined. “We’re in _public_.”

Makani ignored that entirely and squeezed them even harder. “The Challenge would have been great with just me and Hau, but now it’s gonna be wonderful.”

Azophi’s eyes stung and they swallowed painfully. “Oh, you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you enjoyed this chapter because I've been waiting to post that first scene since we wrote the comic script! I suppose I could have cut the chapter at the end of the bar scene, but I didn't want to leave them and y'all there. It made it feel like a set-up for a love triangle, when the point was to get across how Azophi is adapting to their new life and to let us all get to know Lillie a bit better. So yeah, have all these other scenes too.
> 
> Team Azophi  
  
Team Makani:  
  
Team Hau:  
  
Team Lillie:  



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